§ Lord Hardy of Wathasked Her Majesty's Government:
What applications they have received from local authorities wanting to run pilot schemes at local elections in May 2000. [HL848]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonWe 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.
Forty-four 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, and one involves a freepost facility. Details are set out in the table.
Home Office officials will notify local authorities by 14 February whether my right honourable 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.
31WA
Local Authority Number of wards Application to Pilot 1. Amber Valley BC Whole authority 1. Electronic voting Whole authority 2. Extend entitlement to postal voting 2. Birmingham MBC Whole authority Early voting 3. Blackburn with Darwen BC Whole authority Early voting 4. Blackpool BC Whole authority Early voting 5. Bolton MBC 3 wards 1. All postal voting 2. Weekend voting 6. Broxbourne BC 12 wards Electronic counting 7. Bury MBC 1 ward 1. Electronic voting Whole authority 2. Early voting 8. Chester CC Whole authority Early voting 9. Coventry CC Whole authority Early voting 32WA
Local Authority Number of wards Application to Pilot 10. Doncaster MBC 1 ward All postal voting 11. Eastleigh BC 15 wards 1. Extension of entitlement to postal vote 2. Saturday voting 12. Gateshead MBC 2 wards All postal voting 13. Gloucester CC 3 wards Extension of entitlement to postal vote 14. Halton BC 2 wards Early voting 15. Ipswich BC 2 wards All postal voting 16. Kingston Upon Hull CC Whole authority Early voting 17. Knowsley MBC 3 wards Early voting 18. Leeds CC Whole authority Extend hours of polling 19. Manchester CC Whole authority Early voting 20. Milton Keynes 3 wards 1. All postal voting 14 wards 2. Extend Whole authority entitlement to postal vote 3. Electronic counting 21. Mole Valley DC Whole authority Extend hours of polling 22. North 16 wards 1. Saturday voting Hertfordshire DC 2. Early voting 3. Change to absent vote arrangements 23. Norwich CC 2 wards 1. All postal ballots 2 wards 2. Voting on Whole authority Sunday (using Whole authority different hours) 3. Early voting 4. Mobile polling stations 24. Pendle DC Whole authority Early voting 25. Plymouth CC Whole authority Early voting
Local Authority Number of wards Application to Pilot 26. Redditch BC 9 wards Early voting 27. Salford MDC 1 ward 1. All postal voting 2 wards 2. Electronic voting 28. Solihul MBC 1 ward All postal voting 29. St Helens MBC 6 wards Early voting 30. Stevenage BC 2 wards All postal voting 31. Stoke CC Whole authority Early voting 32. Stratford on Avon DC 18 wards Electronic voting 33. Sunderland CC 8 wards 1. Mobile voting Whole authority 2. Early voting 34. Swindon BC 4 wards All postal voting 35. Telford & Wrekin 2 wards Early voting 36. Three Rivers Whole authority 1. All postal voting DC 2. Early voting 3. Electronic counting 37. Thurrock C 3 wards All postal voting 38. Trafford MBC 2 wards Change to absent vote arrangements 39. Wakefield MDC Whole authority Weekend voting 40. Warrington BC 22 wards Electronic voting 41. 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 42. Wigan MBC 3 wards All postal voting 43. Windsor & Maidenhead RB 2 wards Mobile polling facility 44. Wirral 1 ward All postal voting