Labour proposes new electoral system for councils

The Labour Party is proposing a change in the law governing local council elections so that the majority of councillors elected would be from the party that gets the biggest number of first-count votes.

There have been times when a party obtained the highest number of first-count votes in a locality but a minority of councillors because of the system of transferable votes.

Labour wants the party that wins 50 per cent plus one of the first-count votes to have the majority of councillors elected, stressing that the system would better reflect the will of the locality's residents.

This was one in a series of proposals made by the Labour Party (PL) as an "initial reaction" to the local councils reform the government launched for consultation earlier this year. The reform is part of the government's vision for 2015.

The PL also proposed extending the local councils' term of office from three years to four, dropping the age of people eligible to vote from 18 to 16, granting the Ombudsman the right to examine local councils and to give Local Councils' Association representatives the right to be present when the Parliamentary Committee meets to discuss the allocation of funds.

"The Labour Party is presenting these proposals as it believes that local councils are closer to citizens and can better understand their needs... It is therefore important that even the opposition contributes to ensure that local councils are given the tools to work with," the party said.

In a 21-point document, the party also proposed ways of increasing residents' involvement by streaming local council meetings online and granting residents the right to petition and call a "consultative local referendum" on important issues.

Councils, the PL believes, should take a leading role in reducing water and electricity consumption and safeguarding the environment. They should draw up action plans for transport, waste management and pollution.