Blue House plans delayed
The Blue House Roundabout steering group was due to meet in early May however the announcement of the General Election has meant that the next (and possibly final) meeting of the steering group has been delayed until 19 June.
What is purdah?
The term ‘purdah’ is in use across central and local government to describe the period of time immediately before elections or referendums when specific restrictions on the activity of civil servants are in place. The terms ‘pre-election period’ and ‘period of sensitivity’ are also used.
You can read more about purdah in a research briefing on parliament.uk
Purdah impact on local government
The research article on parliament.uk notes that there is statutory guidance for local authorities about publicity during the period just before local elections. The pre-election period is defined as beginning with the publication of notice of the election. In 2017, the latest date for the publication of the notice of election in England and Wales was 27 March 2017. In Scotland, returning officers were directed to publish notice of elections on the earliest day possible, which was 13 March 2017.
The Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity is issued under section 4 of the Local Government Act 1986. The Local Government Association has published Purdah: a short guide to publicity during the pre-election period which gives further information
Blue House plans to be circulated later in year
Once the Blue House Steering Group meeting has taken place and the plans become available, High West Jesmond Residents’ Association will circulate further information about the council’s plans.
The website for the steering group is accessible to anyone who is interested to see minutes and information pertaining to all the meetings to date. The web address is bluehousegroup.org