Introduction
Groups from Balsall Heath want to create a parish (or neighbourhood) council in Balsall Heath. They have put forward a proposal to Birmingham City Council and are campaigning on the issue locally.
What area does this cover?
The same area as is covered by the existing Balsall Heath Neighbourhood Plan.
Map showing Balsall Heath neighbourhood council area
How the decision is made
Birmingham City Council is required to carry out a “Community Governance Review”. This review included finding out what local people, like you, think about the idea. The Balsall Heath Community Governance Review took place between February and July 2022.
All the community feedback was reviewed. It showed most people who responded supported the idea of a Balsall Heath Neighbourhood Council and wanted to explore the proposal further.
The council Cabinet decided the proposal should go to the next stage – a ‘consultative ballot’ of Balsall Heath residents. This means that every Balsall Heath resident who is eligible to vote will be able to have their say on whether a neighbourhood council is created in Balsall Heath.
The council Cabinet and the full city Council will decide on whether a neighbourhood council is created, based on the result of the ballot and the proportion of people who vote.
So, it’s important to make sure all Balsall Heath residents who are eligible to vote return their ballot paper and have their say.
The consultative postal ballots
The original consultative postal ballot was held in November to December 2022.
All Balsall Heath residents who are registered to vote in council elections were sent a postal ballot paper by the council for voting from November until mid-December 2022.
The question on the ballot
The question Balsall Heath residents were asked to vote on was ‘Do you want a Neighbourhood Council for Balsall Heath?’
Who conducted the ballot
The ballot was conducted by post by the Independent Scrutineer: Civica Election Services of The Election Centre, 33 Clarendon Road, London, N8 0NW.
The original consultative ballot result and next steps
Ballot papers received until 30 December 2022 were also included in count due to postal delays over this Christmas period.
The original consultative ballot results
- Turnout - 22% of those eligible to vote voted
- 78% voted ‘yes’ in favour of a Balsall Heath Neighbourhood Council being established.
The threshold Birmingham City Council had set for this consultative ballot was a 25% turnout. So, the turnout was 3% less than required but a large majority of those who voted were in favour of a Balsall Heath Neighbourhood Council.
Birmingham City Council Cabinet received a report on the consultative ballot results and recommended next steps.
The Cabinet met in January 2023 and approved the recommendation in the report to continue engagement and run another ballot. Both opposition leaders supported the suggested approach.
The re-ballot
The council will continue to work with Balsall Heath Steering Group to raise awareness about the Neighbourhood Council proposal in Balsall Heath, help maximise engagement and voter turnout and hold another ballot.
The consultative re-ballot was held from 5 June to 3 July 2023.
This was a postal ballot.
To have their say, all those who voted in the first ballot needed to vote again in this ballot.
All Balsall Heath residents who are registered to vote in city council elections were sent a postal ballot paper by the Independent Scrutineer, Civica Election Services at the end of May ready for voting during June.
The question residents were asked to vote on
‘Do you want a Neighbourhood Council for Balsall Heath?’
The ballot was conducted by post by the Independent Scrutineer, Civica Election Services of The Election Centre, 33 Clarendon Road, London, N8 0NW.
The re-ballot results and next steps
The Balsall Heath consultative postal re-ballot on the proposed Balsall Heath Neighbourhood Council closed on 3 July 2023
The re-ballot result:
- turnout - 21.09%
- voted yes - 1672 (74.14%)
- voted no - 579 (25.67%)
- rejected - 4 (0.18%)
The City Council Cabinet will now decide on the basis of the vote at the October 2023 Cabinet Meeting.
Page last updated: 6 September 2023
