§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will take steps to allow postal ballots for communities which have a parish meeting and are holding elections for parish councils. [36454]
§ Dr. WhiteheadA postal vote is already available to any eligible elector who requests it for the election of parish and community councils. Postal votes are not currently available for parish or community polls demanded at parish or community meetings, but as part of our initiatives, following the Rural White Paper (Cm 4909) to strengthen local democracy at parish level, we will be reviewing the operation of parish polls, including the issue of allowing postal voting.