Referendum date set for Thirston Neighbourhood Plan
18 Aug 2021 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
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A date has been set for a local referendum on a Neighbourhood Plan for Thirston in Northumberland.
The vote will take place on Thursday 16 September and all residents of the parish of Thirston who are registered to vote will be able to have a say on the plan.
Thirston is the 18th neighbourhood plan in Northumberland to have successfully passed independent examination by Government.
Northumberland County Council also considers that the Plan meets all necessary legal requirements and is now ready to proceed to local referendum.
If a majority of residents who vote in the referendum are in favour of the plan it will be used to make decisions on planning applications in the parish of Thirston.
Thirston Parish Council has engaged with the local community to produce the plan which addresses issues people have identified as important in their area.
The referendum is run in the same way as a local election, with the ballot paper in this case asking: ‘Do you want Northumberland County Council to use the neighbourhood plan to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?’ Voters will be able to mark the paper Yes or No.
The referendum will take place from 7am until 10pm on Thursday 16 September, and people will find details of which polling station to attend on their polling card.
New applications to register to vote must be received by Tuesday 31 August and new applications for postal voting must be received in the elections office by Wednesday 1 September 2021. Residents should contact the elections team for an application form as soon as possible on 01670 624811.
Those who are voting by post must make sure that their postal vote is completed and returned promptly for it to be included in the count. If it isn’t posted in time, completed postal vote packs can be handed in at the relevant polling station on 16 September before 10pm.
The Thirston Neighbourhood Plan and accompanying documents can be viewed on the County Council’s website at: www.northumberland.gov.uk/ourplan
Read all about neighbourhood planning here.