Agenda item

The Committee received a report from the Electoral Services Manager providing Members with an update on a number of key work streams being undertaken by the Electoral Services Team in relation to the Register of Electors and Annual Canvass.  The report included, at Appendix A, a full breakdown of the responses received to the Household Enquiry Form (HEF) by return method in this year’s annual canvass in comparison to 2015 – 2017 inclusive.  An updated version of this Appendix containing the very latest return statistics for this year’s canvass was tabled at the meeting for Members’ information.

In presenting the report, the Electoral Services Manager updated Members on the progress of the annual canvass, and outlined how the Electoral Services Team was being proactive to help increase the response rate by way of:-

• telephone canvassing;
• canvassing every care home and housing with multiple occupancies (HMO);
• targeting hard to reach areas by telephone;
• providing extra support to foreign nationals to complete the relevant forms;
• working with schools and colleges to raise awareness and increase the number of attainers on the Register ready for when they reached voting age;
• publicising the canvass and registration process via social media updates.

During subsequent discussion, the Officers answered questions and Members made comments/observations on a range of issues including the following:-

• With regard to information sharing between the Electoral Services Team and other Council departments, the Electoral Services Manager confirmed that the team was able to access Benefits and Council Tax information, and that she was currently liaising with a colleague at St Leger Homes of Doncaster (SLHD) to determine if there was scope for accessing some of the information they held on their database, subject to any data protection requirements.

• Members noted that other local authorities had adopted, as best practice, some of the methods introduced by the Electoral Services Manager to increase the response rate to the annual canvass.

• The Electoral Services Manager explained that the law regarding anonymous entries on the Register of Electors had recently changed, and that information on this was being distributed.  She explained that canvassers were taking any requests for anonymity and a form was then sent out to the person in question to complete.

• It was noted that there was a separate team of canvassers which dealt specifically with HMOs.  The process involved the team making initial contact with the landlord and then visits to each tenant.  Each individual room/tenancy in HMOs was added to the Register in order to ensure that records were as accurate as possible, and it was noted that officers liaised with Council Tax colleagues and, if required, the housing enforcement teams, where there were any apparent anomalies.

·         Members were pleased to note the large increase in the number of attainers on the Register achieved during this year’s canvass, and noted that this was largely due to closer working with schools and colleges to raise awareness, particularly through their social media links.

• With regard to the procedures for contacting new tenants in SLHD properties for registration purposes, and whether they could be asked to sign a declaration when they first moved in to save having to canvass them, Members noted that information on how to register was given to new tenants by SLHD when they moved in.  The Electoral Services Manager stressed, however, that there was still the need to canvass properties each year, as this was a legal requirement, and it was the only means of ascertaining whether residents had moved from their properties or not, since the last Register was compiled.

After the Chair had thanked the Electoral Services Manager and her team for their continued good work, it was

RESOLVED that the report be noted.