PEOPLE living in Hullâs surrounding suburbs are to be given a vote on whether they should stay in the East Riding. The move to organise a postal referendum is expected to be formally approved at a full meeting of East Riding Council this afternoon. East Riding leader Councillor Stephen Parnaby said the ballot would offer people the chance to have their say on the issue. Last month, city councillors agreed to establish a commission of inquiry to examine the case for extending Hullâs administrative boundaries. Councillors in Hull claim the current tight boundaries are holding back the wider areaâs economy. They also say itâs unfair on the city to fund certain council services which are regularly used by East Riding residents, such as the New Theatre and the City Hall. Cllr Parnaby said the referendum would include households in nine different wards â Dale, South Hunsley, Willerby and Kirk Ella, Tranby, South-West Holderness, Mid-Holderness, Hessle, Cottingham North and Cottingham South. A motion already tabled for todayâs full East Riding Council meeting by Independent South-West Holderness Councillor Ann Suggit calls on the authority to resist any attempts by Hull to expand its boundaries into the East Riding. But in an amendment expected to be voted through, Cllr Parnaby is proposing a referendum asking people whether they wish to stay in the East Riding or be included in an expanded Hull. He said: âIn the interests of transparency, an amended motion proposes to seek the views of electors in these areas, through the democratic process, and allow them to have their say about their own future via a postal referendum. âThe debate over administrative boundaries is regularly raised but is never instigated by this authority, which remains committed to serving all communities of the East Riding both now and in the future. âSubject to a vote, the council would seek to undertake a postal referendum in early summer. âIt is disappointing that the issue of boundaries has again been raised and I feel that the best course of action is to put this to the electorate in the areas concerned.â He said Hull was ânot uniqueâ in having a large population living in a small geographic area, citing Portsmouth Southampton and Luton as similar-sized examples. Cllr Parnaby said: âIt is misleading of the city council to put forward the notion that its boundaries be extended to accommodate a perceived strain put on services it delivers, such as theatres, by East Riding residents when councils across the country, including this authority, do the same. âEast Riding residents play an important role in supporting the city economy, just as residents from Hull do when they visit towns like Beverley and Bridlington. âIt is a time of unprecedented change for local government and, contrary to statements made by other local authorities, East Riding Council has not been treated any differently or more favourably. âItâs challenging and, at times, difficult, but residents, quite rightly, expect us to get on with it. âProposals for this referendum are not about funding, it is about giving residents the opportunity to decide on who they want to deliver key services in their community.â http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/say-...tory-20892811-detail/story.html#ixzz2xiSm3cq5
1. Yes to joining hull and continuing to have access to phone, internet and services inside the city. 2. No to joining hull 3. I don't care I just want to enjoy my nice view of my 50 acre back garden whilst I sit in a deck chair on top of my Bentley surfing the internet on my ipad.
I agree that it is a dead cert as to which way a vote would go, in all the times that Hull has put forward the plot to extend their boundaries not once have they ever described any benefits at all to East Riding residents! (my vote would be 3 btw )
The timing of the vote is crucial. Residents of surrounding villages have been quick to disassociate themselves from Hull in the past due to factors like perceived 'crapness', etc. However, there is now a wind of change (and I don't mean the sewage smell in the city centre). Hull is fashionable now. It's now a 'trendy' place to live/work and of course is the City of Culture in 3 years. The snobs in East Riding might be tempted to jump on the band-wagon - of course it's completely shallow but that's just the way things are. 10 years ago people were itching to get out of Hull - now it's suddenly 'cool' to be from Hull. This vote could be closer then people think and of course it if the outcome is a larger City then we might be able to compete with likes of Leeds and Sheffield. Also an enlarged Hull brings with it a host of new voters that are not entrenched Labour voters which would change local politics for the good in my opinion.
I think this is one of those things where the people can't really be trusted to make the right decision.
I think the vote will be a landslide unfortunately, not necessarily because the residents don't want to be associated with Hull, but because they won't want to switch from East Riding Council to Hull City Council. It's a shame, because it would get a few more clued up people on the council and would obviously benefit the city as a whole.
I don't know, media can say what they want but if you're seeing the reality every day you're not going to be taken in. When I come back to Hull and compare the condition of the area compared to what it's like round my way it would hardly inspire me to switch from my local authority to Hull City Council. Where I am in relation to Edinburgh with the transport links we've got it's like living in Beverley or Cott (I can get from home to the middle of Edinburgh in half an hour in rush hour), but the difference between my are and Edinburgh is far less than between my area and Hull. I'll concede I haven't been out and about in the East Riding in a long time, so maybe the difference between ERYC and HCC isn't as big as I expect it to be, and it's just that Fife Council and Edinburgh Council are both better than ERYC and HCC. I also know it's not entirely down to the Council, but the vote will always end up being "do you want things to stay the same, or do you want to be like this" and at that point all parts of it will be relevent not just the Council controlled ones.
Question 1. Do you want to remain with the ERCC and keep your rates the same for the next two years with a possible further freeze in the future ? or 2. Do you want to join HCC and have a 2% increase on your rates this year and probably the same next and would you sit comfortably with HCC writing off £6m in unpaid rates every financial year ? ... And when the snob value has been taken out of the argument that is what it boils down too. If HCC are serious about this issue, and as an ERCC ratepayer I have sympathy with them, they have to up their own game drastically. The likes of Terry Geraghty do them no favours at all.
Really hope it goes through, unlikely as it seems. It shouldn't be about East Riding versus Hull. We're essentially the same area, which is what this vote is about! I grew up in Hessle and when asked where I was from I never said 'just outside Hull', or 'near Hull' because it is Hull all but officially. I don't consider myself to have ever lived outside Hull even though administratively I have. I agree with TWF that the voters won't really get it. They'll think it's about snobbiness and perceptions but it isn't. It's a move to improve Hull in various ways which could be achieved by including some of the nicer areas.
I'm not sure how true that is, we've certainly got some better publicity in recent months but I still think its only people from Hull that perceive it to be a trendy or cool place to be. If I meet someone new and they ask where I'm from, answering with Hull still usually gets an ambivalent or negative response.
Fortunately for the poll the people voting in it live so close to Hull they might be included in that.
True, but I doubt the local perception of increased 'coolness' will be enough to convince them to switch from EYC to the incompetent HCC.
