NEXT month's General Election has led to the rescheduling of 75 per cent of meetings at Torfaen council.

Torfaen County Borough Council was due to hold 16 meetings between now and polling day on December 12 - but only four will be going ahead as planned.

The council’s planning, licensing, cabinet and full council meetings will still take place, while the 12 remaining meetings have been rescheduled.

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A spokesman for the council said: “The pre-election period is a time of heightened political sensitivity where restrictions are put in place to prevent council business being used to influence the electorate and to protect public servants from any accusation of bias or partiality.

“During this period some operational business of the council will continue, however, it is important to minimise situations where political debate will play out in public, outside of election campaigning.

“Our council meeting on December 3 will be core business only and will not include announcements, member questions, public questions, motions or petitions.”

In its guidance to the pre-election period – also known as purdah – the Local Government Association has said that councils are in a period of ‘heightened sensitivity.’

The guidance says: “Local government sometimes views this period as a time when communications has to shut down completely.

“This is not the case, and the ordinary functions of councils can continue, but some restrictions do apply, by law.”

The restrictions in place ensure that councils do not publish any material which appears to be designed to affect public support for a political party.

Monmouthshire County Council has also made changes to their timetable in the build-up to the General Election.

Five council meetings have been cancelled, including two cabinet meetings, a full council meeting, a democratic services meeting and a standards committee meeting.

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The two cabinet meetings will be replaced with a single meeting on Friday, December 20, while the full council meeting will merge with the Thursday, January 23 meeting and will instead take place on Thursday, January 16.

The strong communities committee meeting scheduled for election day has been moved back two days to Sunday, December 10.

At Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council the scheduled meetings will go ahead as planned, however some items may be pulled.

Caerphilly County Borough Council has cancelled the Homes Task Group, which was scheduled for election day, while Newport City Council said it was business as usual.