Under consideration PE2227: Keep Business Improvement District ballots independent with information kept secret until closed
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to amend the Business Improvement District (BID) ballot regulations to require BID ballot holders to prohibit the disclosure of interim ballot data before the official declaration of the result.
For the purposes of this petition, interim ballot data means turnout figures, information on who has voted, the rateable value of returned votes, or any other information generated during the conduct of, or counting of, the ballot. This should not prevent the lawful supply of information for canvassing purposes under regulation 13 of the Business Improvement Districts (Scotland) Regulations 2007.
Background information
Business Improvement Districts in Scotland operate under the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006, along with the Business Improvement Districts (Scotland) Regulations 2007 (SSI 2007/202) and the Business Improvement Districts (Ballot Arrangements) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 (SSI 2007/261).
Evidence shows that BID guidance to local authorities has not prevented BID proposers (often private companies) from accessing information on who has voted during the ballot. This is a matter of concern because it takes more than just a majority to win a ballot but also an aggregate of non-domestic rateable values that is higher than for those voting against.
If a ballot is secret, in the traditional meaning of local authority ballots, this would ensure that results were a robust reflection of eligible non-domestic rate payers. If BIDs are to be truly democratic then the levied businesses should be entitled to expect the highest standards of secrecy in the holding of BID ballots.
8 signatures