After section 27D of the Local Government Act 1972 insert the following—
(1)This section sets out the conditions that must be met before an application may be made by a community meeting for an order under section 27F grouping the community with some neighbouring community or communities which lie in the same principal area as the community, under a common community council.
(2)The first condition is that the community meeting has taken an effective decision to hold a poll on a proposal to group the community with a neighbouring community or communities which lie in the same principal area as the community, under a common community council.
(3)For the purposes of the first condition a decision is only effective if not less than—
(a)10% of the local government electors for the community, or
(b)150 of the electors (if 10% of the electors exceeds 150 electors),
are present and voting at the community meeting.
(4)The second condition is that the poll is not held before the end of the period of 42 days beginning with the day on which the decision to hold the poll was taken.
(5)The third condition is that the poll is not held within two years of an earlier poll which resulted in a rejection of an identical proposal to group the community with a neighbouring community or communities (that period of two years beginning with the day on which the earlier poll was held).
(6)The fourth condition is that a majority of those voting in the poll support the proposal to group the community with a neighbouring community or communities which lie in the same principal area as the community, under a common community council.
(7)The fifth condition is that the application is made jointly with the community meeting, or meetings, for the community, or communities to be grouped under the common community council.
(8)Paragraph 34 of Schedule 12 to this Act (voting at community meetings) shall have effect subject to the provisions of this section.”.