§ MR. HOULT (Cheshire, Wirral)I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether his attention has been directed to the constitution of the last parish council of Great Saughall, and to the circumstances under which the outgoing chairman was reelected, whereby a majority was given to the party defeated at the election of parish councillors; and whether he will take steps to prevent this occurring again.
§ MR. WALTER LONGI am aware of the circumstances of the case referred to in the question. The matter is not one in which the Local Government Board are empowered to take action; but they have expressed their opinion that as the outgoing chairman of the parish council was a candidate for reelection he could not properly act as chairman of the meeting of the council during the election, and I trust that in future this opinion will be acted upon.