asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which councils in England hold elections for half the membership at a time; and in which years they hold them. [HL4515]

There are seven district councils which hold elections for half (or as nearly as maybe) their membership at a time. These are Adur, Cheltenham, Fareham, Gosport, Hastings, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Oxford. These elections are next due to be held in 2008 and then every second year thereafter.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which councils in England which previously held elections for a third of the membership at a time now hold whole-council elections; and in which years they hold them. [HL4516]

There are 11 district councils which, since local government reorganisation in 1974, previously held elections for a third (or as nearly as maybe) of their membership at a time and now hold whole-council elections. These are the eight shire district councils of Broadland, Eastbourne, East Devon, Hinckley and Bosworth, Mid Sussex, Oadby and Wigston, Tonbridge and Malling and West Dorset and the three unitary district councils of Leicester, North Somerset (previously Woodspring District Council) and Torbay. All of these councils will next hold a whole-council election in 2011 and every fourth year thereafter.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which county councils in England have some electoral divisions which elect more than one member. [HL4517]

Of the 35 county councils in England, including the unitary county council of the Isle of Wight, 21 have at least one electoral division which returns more than one member. These are Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Dorset, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire and Worcestershire.