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 is the decision 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.
Postal ballot
All Balsall Heath residents who are registered to vote in council elections will be sent a postal ballot paper by the council for voting from November until mid-December.
The question on the ballot
The question Balsall Heath residents will be asked to vote on is: ‘Do you want a Neighbourhood Council for Balsall Heath?’
The ballot will be conducted by post by the Independent Scrutineer:
Civica Election Services of The Election Centre, 33 Clarendon Road, London, N8 0NW.
To be counted, the ballot paper must be received by Civica no later than 5pm on Thursday 15 December 2022. This is an extension to the original ballot deadline.
Consultative Ballot result and next steps:
Ballot papers received until 30th December were also included in count due to postal delays over this Christmas period.
The ballot results were:
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 City 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.
Birmingham City Council Governance has confirmed the postal re-ballot dates will be 5 June - 3 July 2023.
All those who voted in the original consultative ballot will have to vote again in this re-ballot to have their say.
Page last updated: 27 March 2023
