§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what applications he has received from local authorities wanting to run pilot schemes at local elections in May. [108275]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe hope that the Representation of the People Bill will receive Royal Assent in time to allow the first pilot schemes of innovative electoral procedures to be run at local elections in May.
Clause 10(11) of the Bill allows for applications to be submitted before the Bill receives Royal Assent.
44 local authorities have submitted applications to run 64 pilot schemes.
Of these, 21 involve early voting, 14 involve all postal ballots, eight involve electronic voting or counting, seven involve changes to the absent vote arrangements, six involve weekend voting, four involve a mobile ballot box, two involve an extension to polling hours, one involves voter notification, one involves a freepost facility. Details are set out in the table.
My officials will notify local authorities by 14 February whether my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary would be minded to approve their applications should the Bill receive Royal Assent in time for schemes to be run in May.
507W
Local Authority Number of wards Application to pilot Eastleigh BC 15 wards 1. Extension of entitlement to postal vote 2. Saturday voting Gateshead MBC 2 wards All postal voting Gloucester CC 3 wards Extension of entitlement to postal vote Halton BC 2 wards Early voting Ipswich BC 2 wards All postal voting Kingston upon Hull CC Whole authority Early voting Knowsley MBC 3 wards Early voting Leeds CC Whole authority Extend hours of polling Manchester CC Whole authority Early voting Milton Keynes 3 wards 1. All postal voting 14 wards 2. Extend entitlement to postal vote Whole authority 3. Electronic counting Mole Valley DC Whole authority Extend hours of polling North Hertfordshire DC 16 wards 1. Saturday voting 2. Early voting 3. Change to absent vote arrangements Norwich CC 2 wards 1. All postal ballots 2 wards 2. Voting on Sunday (using different hours) Whole authority 3. Early voting Whole authority 4. Mobile polling stations Pendle DC Whole authority Early voting Plymouth CC Whole authority Early voting Redditch BC 9 wards Early voting Salford MDC 1 ward 1. All postal voting 2 wards 2. Electronic voting Solihul MBC 1 ward All postal voting St. Helens MBC 6 wards Early voting Stevenage BC 2 wards All postal voting Stoke CC Whole authority Early voting Stratford on Avon DC 18 wards Electronic voting Sunderland CC 8 wards 1. Mobile voting Whole authority 2. Early voting Swindon BC 4 wards All postal voting Telford and Wrekin 2 wards Early voting Three Rivers DC Whole authority 1. All postal voting 2. Early voting 3. Electronic counting Thurrock C 3 wards All postal voting Trafford MBC 2 wards Change to absent vote arrangements Wakefield MDC Whole authority Weekend voting Warrington BC 22 wards Electronic voting Watford BC Whole authority 1. Freepost arrangements as in parliamentary elections 2. Weekend voting 3. Early voting 4. Mobile ballot box 5. Voter notification 6. Proxy voting deadline extension Wigan MBC 3 wards All postal voting Windsor and Maidenhead RB 2 wards Mobile polling facility Wirral 1 ward All postal voting