PROPOSALS to change the way people vote in local elections in Brentwood have been thrown out, despite a resident consultation backing the idea.

The council operates an election by thirds system where voters go to the polls three times over a four-year period.

There are 37 councillors, who are elected for a four-year term. Each year, one third of councillors are up for election, with the exception of the fourth year, when no elections take place.

The consultation results showed 59 per cent of respondents favoured whole-council elections every four years, while 41 per cent favoured the current system.

Opponents of a change highlighted the low number of people who responded to the consultation – 433 – saying it wasn’t a fair reflection on the borough’s population.

Tory councillor Roger Hurst, who was against the proposal, said the current system was a sign of the times. There was a need for increased democracy and the possible cost saving could be said of any number of years, not just four.

Councillor Chris Hossack said: “This isn’t a shining example of a good consultation compared to William Hunter Way, which had nearly 6,000 respondents. This was just a sample size of people.”

The administration said a change in the procedure could save the authority up to £195,000 over a four-year cycle. Of the 12 district councils in Essex, five run the whole-election scheme. The administration believed having a four-year term would allow it to deliver its mandate before judging by the electorate.

Council leader Barry Aspinell joked he was “fed up” of walking the streets each year for elections and wanted a change.

He said: “Over four years, we lose about four months of work because of a hideous thing called election purdah. We can’t make decisions for four months. That’s ridiculous.”