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Elections and Terms of Office

Currently, full elections take place every four years. Would you support a move to a three-year election cycle with no by-elections? Vacancies would be filled via the co-option process.  (see Scheme page 9 and Guidance page 103)

Where the number of elected community councils fall below the minimum requirement or co-option has not been possible, a by-election may be called by South Ayrshire Council.

 

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Open answers (9)

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  • Very silly. Keep as is. Scot Govt Model even says: "elections will be held on a four-yearly-cycle".

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    • When talking about moving to a three-year election cycle with no by-elections I cannot support this purely for the reason that relates back to my previous responses of how are CCs supposed to recruit members into a friendly environment in order to stop them from collapsing if we are making it so bureaucratic. I am sure that other CCs can relate that, especially in the past few years, our CC would have folded if we were unable to co-opt people on and elect them at the following AGM, about 2 years ago if that were the case half our committee would have been co-optees and not full members. If you want make organisations that are future proof, will last, and can make a real difference you need to relax the membership process.

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      • Looking at terms of office, the first thing that needs to be addressed is Clause 2.3 where it states 'Members of the ... Scottish Youth Parliament, for the area (or part of the area) covered by a Community Council shall have ex officio membership'. I can understand the place of this clause for MPs, MSPs, and Cllrs as it is to try and avoid political impartiality in CCs which we should protect at all costs but the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) is a politically impartial organisation and MSYPs have to undergo extensive training when elected on how to remove political biases from conversations so in this case they are probably more informed on how to be politically impartial than most Community Cllrs.

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        • I am inclined to stick with the 4 yearly cycle as is written in the Model Scheme. Is it really necessary to co-opt members at all? Why can't a member wait until the next by-election to become a full voting member? Normally members take some time to sit and just listen in any case so this gives them plenty time....it is very annoying when we go through the whole by-election and then people come along just after it but there is nothing stopping them continuing to come along until the yearly by-election. I would do away with co-option of ordinary members completely. Of course we should always be able to co-opt a specialist co-optee at any time, they are not counted in the membership and do not have a vote but they can offer specialist help.

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          • A four year cycle would be more appropriate as that is the standard practice for most community councils in Scotland. Vacancies via co-option is sensible as the main problem is recruitment and retention rather than reassortment.

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            • System works well as is

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                • Should remain at 4 years but remove bi-elections and co-opt from a vote of the current community cllr but new co-opt should have to attend 3meetings before being able to be co-opted

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                  • if we remove the bi-elections then that means that someone can be "elected" onto the community council between the 4 years while never actually being democratically elected by the whole area, only elected by a few community councillors in effect. Is that really democratic, would you want system for South Ayrshire Councillors because believe it or not, community councillors are just as much democratically elected as members of South Ayrshire Council. Sorry to be pedantic but I think it is important to be seen to be democratic, currently the problem is solved by yearly by-elections. That means more work for South Ayrshire Council but it means that things are done democratically, rather than not.

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                  • Less cumbersome or confusing.

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