The cost of a referendum

It is true that I was quoted in the Daily Echo on this issue, but the full answer that I gave to a question in council last week is on the Bournemouth council website and gives a much more comprehensive reply.

This demonstrates very clearly the challenges we are facing from the government and our commitment to a serious consultation with local residents.

The estimated cost of a referendum was provided by the Chief Executive Tony Williams, who is the council’s Returning Officer.

I understand that he has been in communication with Poole’s Returning Officer, Paul Morris, who is co-ordinating the PCC elections in Dorset and so I have relied on both officers when providing the information.

The estimated cost for a referendum across Dorset is some £727,000 if combined with an election or another referendum and would of course be significantly in excess of this if run independently, probably in the region of some £1.3 million to £1.4 million.

These figures do not include the unidentified costs of having to prepare a significant amount of material to provide residents with the details to support such a referendum.

However, the provisions of the European Union Referendum Bill require that no local referendum or election should be run concurrently with the EU referendum.

The Local Government Association’s review of the funding of South East Dorset will not be completed until at least Spring 2016 and thus it would inhibit a referendum coinciding with the Police and Crime Commissioner Elections in any case.

CLLR JOHN BEESLEY Leader of Bournemouth council