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 currently 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 where no elections take place.

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

The results of the consultation showed that 59 percent of respondents favoured whole council elections and 41 percent favoured election by thirds Tory councillor Roger Hurst, who was against the proposal, said the current system was a sign of the times and there was a need for increased democracy, and that the cost saving could be said of any number of years, not just four.

Councillor Chris Hossack added: “This isn’t a shining example of a good consultation compared to William Hunter Way which had nearly 6,000 respondents and was more emotive.

“This was just a small sample size of people.”

The administration said a change in the election 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 being judged by the electorate.

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

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