Related Articles
ANOTHER Royal Mail bill linked to the botched Paisley Southeast by-election has landed on Renfrewshire Council’s doorstep, taking the cost of the poll to well over £16,000.
The ballot was scrapped by the council at the last minute in December after disqualified elected member Paul Mack launched a late legal challenge against his ban in the Court of Session.
Postal votes had already been sent out and some mailed back before officials pulled the plug.
Before Christmas, it emerged the blunder had cost the local authority nearly £16,000 but bosses were still waiting on another invoice to arrive from Royal Mail for the return of postal votes.
It has now been revealed that bill came to £643, bringing the total cost of the failed poll to £16,466.
It is understood there will be a further invoice to cover the cost of a “very small” number of postal votes returned after December 18 but this is not likely to be significant.
The printing and postage of ballot papers and postal vote packs cost £8,510, according to a breakdown previously supplied by the council.
Royal Mail had already sent an invoice for £1,243 prior to the latest one, while the sending of letters to voters came in at £2,265.
The council has had to fork out £2,750 in legal costs, £168 for building services overtime, £175 for legal caveat costs, £165 for electoral registration office costs, £497 for document solution centre printing and £50 in venue costs.
