To consider and comment on the Election Review Report.
Minutes:
The Head of Elections & Civic Mayors Office, Seth Alker, presented the Election Review report, highlighting the lessons learned from the 2022 elections and the improvements made for the general election. He discussed project management, staff training, polling station arrangements, and the challenges with absent voting:
Project Management: Seth emphasised the importance of project management, noting that a good balance was struck between oversight and quick decision-making, which will be the model for future elections.
Staff Training: Seth highlighted the extensive training provided to poll clerks and presiding officers, including in-person and online training, which will be built upon for future elections.
Polling Station Arrangements: Seth discussed the review of polling places and districts, noting that individual issues would be incorporated into the review to improve future arrangements.
Absent Voting Challenges: Seth detailed the challenges with absent voting, including postal vote timetables, print contractor capacity, and Royal Mail performance. He emphasised the need for better information for electors and potential changes to the system.
Polling Station Issues: Seth Alker addressed the issue of a polling station in New Addington being occupied by squatters, which required finding an alternative venue. He emphasised the need for better business continuity arrangements for polling stations.
Count Venue and Staffing: Seth Alker discussed the successful use of Bernard Weatherill House as the count venue noting its accessibility, space, and value for money and mentioned the possibility of using other venues such as Fairfield Halls in the future, depending on availability and capacity. The decision would be reviewed closer to the 2026 elections.
Staffing Arrangements: Seth discussed the effective staffing arrangements, including the use of experienced count supervisors and a robust escalation procedure for any issues that might arise during the count.
Seth
informed the Committee that in light of
the House of Commons’s report on the general election and
declarations before 4.00 pm, Croydon had significantly improved its
position over most local authorities. He also
took Members through the summary of actions and
learning points from the election review and highlighted the
following planned actions:
· Polling Station Review: general business continuity arrangements to expanded to include reserve locations for polling stations and investigate the use of mobile units for emergency situations.
· Recruitment for Electoral Services:Advertise and recruit for the vacant electoral services manager post within the next month.
· Polling District Review:the polling district review to include an assessment of the suitability and access of polling stations and consider alternative arrangements if necessary.
· Communication of Polling Station Changes:the process for communicating changes to polling stations to electors to be improved including timely notifications and clear information.
· Postal Vote System Improvement:Work with the government and relevant bodies to address national issues with the postal vote system, including capacity and delivery timelines.
The Chair and Members of the Committee commended the efforts of the Returning Officer, the Elections Team for the apparent improvements in the arrangements for the elections held on the 4th July 2024 and thanked the Head of Elections & Civic Mayors Office for the report.
RESOLVED to Note the Returning Officer’s Review Report of the General Election on 4th July attached as Appendix 1. 3.
Supporting documents: