Tuesday 7 September 2010

The leisurely pursuit of second home voters

Remember that Cornwall Council Electoral Review Panel meeting on 2nd July? The one which instructed officials to write to Nick Clegg about the issues surrounding second home owners and the influence they might wield in Cornwall's elections?

As I've previously blogged, no letter has yet been sent. The official in charge of writing it, Richard Williams, has just told councillors that it was felt "inappropriate" to trouble the deputy Prime Minister during Parliament's summer recess. (Can anyone suggest why this was inappropriate?)

Richard said the letter has at least now been drafted and will be posted in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson is still trying to organise a meeting with the minister responsible for second-home-owner voters, Mark Harper.

Acting council leader Jim Currie offered the thought that a reconcilliation between the electoral register, and the separate register of those entitled to second home council tax discount, could lead to a reduction in the number of people in Cornwall who are entitled to vote. This, he said, could make it difficult for Cornwall to justify having six MPs.

It's not clear if this was meant to encourage or discourage the pursuit of Cornwall's second-home-owner voters. But at the current rate of progress it looks as if we'll have time for plenty more elections without anything having changed.

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