Bill to avoid election clash between parliaments passed

Proposals to avoid future election clashes have been passed today by the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Elections (Dates) Bill – a Programme for Government commitment – proposes a five-year term for the next Scottish Parliament to avoid clashing with the next UK general election on 7 May 2020.

In addition, the bill defers the planned 2021 Scottish local government elections until 2022 to avoid a clash with the new Holyrood election date.

Parliamentary business minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “The Scottish and UK governments agreed to keep the elections separate and this is what this legislation achieves. Backed by unanimous cross-party support it represents a straightforward and pragmatic solution to the problem.

“By agreeing to a five-year term for the next Scottish Parliament this bill avoids a clash with the next UK general election in 2020 and will therefore help eliminate any potential voter confusion.

“When the Scotland Bill transfers full powers over elections to the Scottish Parliament, we can then agree permanently the best term lengths and dates for Scottish elections.”