In what circumstances are referendums held in the UK?

In what circumstances are referendums held in the UK?

Referendums are a popular vote where the people are asked to decide on an important or constitutional issue directly. The key features of a referendum are that they the questions usually asked are single questions and are put forward by the government. In a referendum the citizens make the decision and it is always a YES/NO answer. However the conclusive answer is not binding on Parliament.
There are 4 main reasons why referendums are held in the UK. Firstly one reason for a referendum is when it has been promised in the party’s manifesto. For example the 2011 referendum held in the UK was to do with whether the system of Alternative vote should be adopted for the UK general elections. This was promised in the Manifesto pledge by the Liberal Democrats, which was used as a compromise between the conservatives and liberal democrats before forming the coalition government. The outcome of this referendum was a no by 67.9% to 32.1% voting yes. This means that political parties may promise a referendum if they are elected. If they go on to win the election, they deliver on this promise of a referendum.
Another reason why referendums are held in the UK is constitutional change and being able to make the change legitimate. An example of this is the 1998 referendum in London. The question asked was ‘Are you in favour of the government’s proposals for a Greater London Authority made up of an elected major and a separately elected assembly? A referendum was needed so the government can get the consent of the people to bring a major and consent to imply taxation increase that would be needed to introduce a major an elected assembly. This would not just affect the way the people are being represented by having a major to help introduce change and important matters concluded but also increase the amount of tax people are paying the be able to fund the Major and the elected assembly that were being introduced as well. This meant that the government got direct consent of the people and this legitimises the change. This is all needed to be able to make any change put forward in a referendum legitimate as it is a change to the constitution.
Lastly another reason why referendums are held in the UK is to avoid splits in political parties. For example in the 1975 referendum in the UK and the question the government asked was ‘Do you think that the UK should stay in the European community?’ This question was asked due to the fact that the Labour party couldn’t decide on this matter and the Prime Minister Harold Wilson ordered a referendum to settle the issue. In this situation it causes a few worries for the government due to the fact that the government are struggling to make a decision and are not working together. This poses the worry of not being able to agree in the future on matters that divide the conflict and could cause continuous conflict when having the solve issues and problems. This means that when the government are divided on an issue that could cause splits and collapse of the government the matter is put to the people and they make the decision instead. When the government puts forward a referendum they have to listen to the decision of the people. Therefore as well as the government preventing splits and collapse, it also portrays a sense of a strong and stable government as well as receiving the outcome from the people’s votes.