Agenda item

The Committee received a report which provided an update on Individual Electoral Registration (IER) and the Annual Canvass.  In presenting the report, Trina Barber confirmed that since December 2015, registration had continued to increase and the current full electorate in Doncaster was now 224,249.  This was an increase of 7,702 since the last full register was published and was believed to be partly due to heightened public interest in the recent elections, particularly the EU Referendum.  Appendix A to the report showed a breakdown of the increased electorate figures in each ward.

It was reported that preparations for the Annual Canvass were now beginning, which would involve writing to over 135,000 households in the Borough to check that the information held on the Electoral Register was true and accurate.  Members noted that the Elections Team was proactively undertaking new ways of increasing the response to the canvass and helping to ensure that residents were kept on the Electoral Register and did not lose their right to vote.  These included:

·         Telephone canvassing

·         Working with care homes

·         Working with schools/colleges

·         Social media

·         Home movers through estate agents/new builders

·         Liaison with internal partners/colleagues such as Council Tax, Children’s Services

·         Car Park and Bus Ticket advertising.

With regard to the telephone canvassing, the Committee was informed that following a pilot exercise by Doncaster Council last year, this had subsequently been shared as best practice and had been picked up by the Electoral Commission and the Cabinet Office who were planning to pilot the initiative on a wider scale with selected local authorities this year.

In response to a question as to whether any information on registration and/or the Canvass was provided for the public in the Civic Office reception area, Trina Barber confirmed that information on the Canvass was displayed on the monitors in the reception area.  The Council’s front desk staff also automatically asked customers if they were registered, but they would not be referring to the Canvass until all the Canvass letters had been sent out to households. 

During subsequent discussion, Councillor John McHale congratulated the Elections Team on its achievements in securing the increased registration.  He also welcomed the new and innovative initiatives being pursued and stated that these ideas had given Members food for thought in terms of how they engaged with their constituents and the general public.

Trina Barber then answered further questions/comments from Members on the following points:-

·         It was confirmed that St Leger Homes of Doncaster provided a Registration Form to all new Council tenants;

·         The Elections Team entered the addresses of all newly built properties on its Electoral Registration computer system and contacted new households.  The Team also received weekly updates from colleagues in the Council Tax section on a weekly basis to ensure that records were being kept up-to-date;

·         The Registration Form and other literature regarding Electoral Services could be made available in different languages upon request;

·         In response to a suggestion by Councillor Sue Wilkinson, Trina Barber undertook to liaise with colleagues who managed the Selective Licensing Scheme at Hexthorpe to see if there was scope for working with private landlords in terms of encouraging tenants to register.

It was then

            RESOLVED to note the update on IER and the Annual Canvass.