The Town Council Planning Meeting

Lesson objectives To understand what is meant by local government To consider and prioritise problems faced by local government To practise skills of communication and negotiation To practise conflict resolution

Introduction The laws of Britain are passed by Members of Parliament (MPs) who vote in the House of Commons in London. Councillors who work for local councils, not Members of Parliament, take many of the decisions that affect our day-to-day lives and the area we live. This form of government is known as local government.

Which department? Education Transport planning Passenger transport Highways Fire service Social services Libraries Waste disposal Housing Planning applications Leisure and recreation Waste collection Environmental health Revenue collection 1. I want my son Peter to go attend my local school. 2. The speed limit in my road should be reduced to 20 mph. 3. I don’t agree with a landfill site being built near my home. 4. I want to adopt children 5. I have a shed with an asbestos roof. How do I get rid of it? 6. My library doesn’t have enough non fiction books 7. I have heard that you are planning to build a traffic island outside my house and I don’t want one! 8. My bins haven’t been emptied for three weeks

How do you become a councillor? There are about 21,000 councillors in England and Wales. Each one is elected to represent one small geographical area known as a ward. In cities like Birmingham there are three councillors for each ward. Councillors have to be over 21 years of age and be on the electoral roll for the ward that they are standing in.

Which department? Education Transport planning Passenger transport Highways Fire service Social services Libraries Waste disposal Housing Planning applications Leisure and recreation Waste collection Environmental health Revenue collection 9. I want to build an extension onto my house. 10. Is it true that you are planning to close our beautiful Victorian swimming baths? 11. I think that my house should be in a lower category when you collect my council tax. 12. I am a single mother and my child and I need somewhere to live. 13. I waited half an hour for a bus the other day and I was late for work. 14. I’ve noticed that there are big drums of chemicals in the garden of an abandoned house near me. 15. There should be more cycle routes in our area because the roads are not safe for cyclists. 16. There are rats constantly coming out of my next-door neighbour’s garden.

Voting in council elections You have to over 18 to vote in local elections and also you have to be on the electoral roll for the ward. Big councils like Birmingham have local elections every year and each time a third of the seats are contested. The candidates usually come from the three main parties but other smaller parties and independents also stand for election. Elections are usually held on the first Thursday in May.

Polling day Normally people go to vote in a polling station, which has been set up in a school, or other public building. They give their name to an official, who ticks it off a list of eligible voters. They are given a ballot paper with the names of all the candidates on it and vote by putting an X next to the name of the person they want. They then put the ballot paper into the ballot box, without anyone seeing who they have voted for. The person with the highest number of votes wins. This is known as ‘first passed the post’ voting.

The Town Council Planning meeting Your table is the executive committee for Wheelhurst Town Council. I want you to look at the 10 problems and choose what you think are the five most important problems for Wheelhurst. You must all agree on these five problems.

Problems to consider 1. Gangs of youths are hanging around the take-away shop in the High Street. Should high level noise devices be fitted to the shops so that they move away? 2. There are too few children in Bankley Primary and Woodview Primary. Should we close one of the schools down? 3. The council houses in Pond Lane need to be repainted both inside and out, as it is more than ten years since they were last done. Should we go ahead with it? 4. There were three road accidents, one of which was fatal, along the Bashford Road last month. Should we install speed cameras? 5. The council-run home for the elderly is in need of refurbishment. Should we go ahead with this? 6. We currently recycle paper. Should we extend this scheme to include glass, plastic, cans and garden waste? 7. There is a rise in the birth rate in the south of the town. Should we build a new nursery school? 8. The local probation service has asked permission to build a hostel in Fingley Road for people who have come out of prison to stay. Should we give permission for this to be built? 9. The residents of Arby Lane have asked for trees to be planted on along the road. Should we do this? 10. Swimming instruction in schools is expensive. Should we restrict it to just Years 6 and 7?

Your choices Group 1Group 2Group 3 Group 4Group 5Group 6

Optional extra Now I want you to join with another table and repeat the exercise agreeing on just five problems.

Your choices Group1Group 2Group 3