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The Referendum Question
26 July 2010
The Referendum Question for 5 May 2011 will be:
Do you want the United Kingdom to adopt the 'alternative vote' system instead of the current 'first past the post' system for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons?
The wording of the question is contained in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, which will also reduce the size of the Commons from 650 to 600 MPs and establish boundary reviews to create more equal sized constituencies. The Bill was introduced to the Commons for its first reading alongside the Fixed-term Parliaments Bill.
Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said:
“With the introduction of these Bills, fundamental reform of our politics is finally on the way.
“The Coalition Government is determined to put power where it belongs – with people. You will decide how you want to elect your MPs. By making constituencies more equal in size, the value of your vote will no longer depend on where you live, and with fewer MPs the cost of politics will be cut. And, by setting the date that parliament will dissolve, our Prime Minister is giving up the right to pick and choose the date of the next General Election – that’s a true first in British politics.”
The Fixed-term Parliaments Bill, also introduced today, provides for general elections to occur every five years on the first Thursday in May, removing the power of the Prime Minister to call an election without Parliament’s consent. This will prevent a Government dissolving Parliament for its own political advantage. General Elections will be held earlier if two thirds of all MPs vote in favour of dissolution or if there has been a vote of no confidence in a Government and an alternative Government fails to gain the confidence of the House of Commons within 14 days. The Bill does not alter the present arrangements for a vote of no confidence, which requires a simple majority of 50 per cent plus one.
The second readings of the two Bills will take place after the summer recess.
Further details: Cabinet office website
Featured Event
Open Public Services - Passage of a bill workshop
This VSNW/Parliamentary Outreach Service event will explore the stages that the bill would go through, their relative importance and ways to engage and influence
Featured News
Two days left to enter our case study competition - prizes up for grabs!
We are inviting local groups and local or regional infrastructure organisations from across the North West to submit ideas for Listen Value Invest 2012 case studies about their work and how they are adjusting to the new environment
Transforming Local Infrastructure Fund results announced
The beneficiaries of the £30 million fund to help transform and modernise local charity support services have been announced by Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society.
Relaunch of Voluntary Sector Cuts Website
The Voluntary Sector Cuts website has now been relaunched with additional functionality to enable VCS organisations to records cuts to funding and their effects
Events & Trainings
VSNW’s list of events & training opportunities for VCS groups in the North West
