Postal votes for Calderdale elections increase by almost a quarter

In all 46,000 people voted in Calderdale’s borough elections in May, 11,000 more than the previous poll, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

There were issues with some postal vote packs being received late due to issues involving printers and postal services, with council electoral team staff delivering some of these themselves to ensure they were received in time, councillors heard.

Calderdale Council’s Strategy and Performance Scrutiny Board were reviewing the elections, which Electoral Services manager Michelle Brown described as the most challenging the team had faces because of the circumstances.

Planning for the spring election began in September 2020 – the elections were postponed from May 2020 – and it is also beginning now for the May 2022 poll.

Ms Brown said an issue at the printers on April 24 caused some delays – only a handful of printers can deal with election material and these were in demand – with a last batch of around 1,000 packages going out later than expected.

Issues with the mail also arose.

Although Royal Mail is more expensive it will be used in future because of beeter tracking of post.

Although packs did not reach voters as quickly as the team expected in general terms everybody got their vote with 156 packs having to be reissued and some being delivered by van by team members.

Board Chair Coun Ashley Evans (Lib Dem, Warley) said he was impressed people were out posting packs through the door to ensure people got them.

Other issues councillors raised included the positioning of polling stations.

Coun Susan Press (Lab, Todmorden) said the nearer someone was the their polling station the likelier they were to vote, the correlation was striking.

Ms Brown said these were reviewed regularly but in some cases there was just one building which was suitable.

Coun Evans said a lot was taken for granted because it usually ran so smoothly and Coun Steven Leigh (Con, Ryburn) agreed the circumstances the May elections had to be held in were extraordinary – the recent by-election in September was more representative and had been faultless, he said.

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