Have your say on proposed voting system

The people of Powys are being asked their views on the possible introduction of the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system for local county council elections.

In most areas of Wales, the first-past-the-post system is used to elect local County Councillors, who look after issues specific to your local area, and the candidate(s) with the most votes are elected.

Here in Powys, the county council are looking into the possibility of moving to the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system and changing the way you vote in local county council elections.

The Single Transferable Vote system is a form of proportional representation designed to allow voters more choice than just one candidate. Rather than one person representing everyone in a small area, bigger areas select a small team of representatives. These representatives reflect the range of opinions in the area.

Cllr James Gibson-Watt, Leader and Cabinet Member for an Open and Transparent Powys, said:

"In order for the council to consider the change to our voting system, a public consultation on the matter was agreed and the results will help us as a council decide whether or not we introduce the Single Transferable Vote system for our future local elections.

"I urge everybody to have your say, you don't need to be registered to vote in order to give us your feedback.

"We will use the information from this consultation to decide whether or not to adopt the Single Transferable Vote system for our local elections, from 2027 onwards, by the deadline set out by Welsh Government of 15 November 2024".

For more details and to take part in the consultation, click here.

Paper copies of the consultation are available to download from the link above or can be picked up from your local library. Please return completed forms to library staff, or scan and email them to haveyoursay@powys.gov.uk.

The closing date for responses is Monday 30 September 2024.