DCLG must amend Neighbourhood Plan referendum questions, says Electoral Commission

The referendum questions, which would be used to determine whether a Neighbourhood Plan is adopted by the Council, are "difficult for voters to understand", the EC report "referendums on Neighbourhood Planning in England" (38-Pages / 6MB PDF) said.

In response to a consultation on three proposed referendum questions by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the EC examined the referendums to ensure that the questions were written "in a way that voters can understand them" and "so they know what they are voting on".

The report concluded that the three proposed referendum questions put forward by DCLG, including the preamble "were too long, used technical language and were difficult for voters to understand".

The examination included one-to-one research with voters, writing to individuals and advice from experts on plain language and accessibility.

The proposed questions "were difficult to understand, largely due to their length and complexity", the EC said.

The EC report recommended that local authorities be required to publish explanatory information in relation to the referendum in advance, to allow voters time to read, understand and digest the information, rather than including it in a preamble to the question.

"The wording on the ballot paper alone cannot be expected to address the underlying low levels of awareness and understanding about the local planning process," the report said.

It also warned that voters could be misled by the proposed questions, with many participants feeling that the referendum was "biased towards a 'yes' vote".

The Commission has recommended that new questions are drafted and has included some proposed wording in its consultation response. It said that technical terms and jargon should be kept to a minimum and the preambles should be removed and replaced with information that would be provided to voters in advance of the referendum.

Referendums on Neighbourhood Planning proposals can take place anytime from October, the EC said. The Government is considering the EC's recommendation.