(a)

the elections project was initially monitored by the Constitutional Review Group (CRG) however since the merge of CRG and Audit Committee resulting in the creation of the Audit & Governance Committee, updates were to be directed to this meeting;

(b)

Mr Dave Smith, an independent inspector, who was brought in as a result of several issues with the elections in 2017, provided the Council with several recommendations in order to address concerns and ensure the adequacy of the elections process. It was confirmed that in response to the recommendations made by Mr Smith, resilience in the team had been enhanced through additional capacity; improvements in elections documentation and more effective processes; a focus upon training and staff meeting national standards of certification for elections law and registration; the contact centre has taken on some tasks from the elections team, using their skills and expertise in customer service by dealing with basic enquiries about the electoral register; 

(c)

the Electoral Commission was present at the Life Centre on election night on Thursday 3 May 2018 and confirmed they were satisfied with the Council’s processes, the venue, that fact that count staff were easily identifiable due to coloured id badges and how the Returning Officer had conducted the election overall. It was raised however that further training was required for count staff to improve consistency, particularly around the process for verifying ballot papers;

(d)

the Electoral Services team was now in the process of preparing for the full canvas of the electoral register which will start in July 2018; statutory letters, Household Enquiry Form (HEF) and Invitation To Register (ITR) are required to be sent to all households in Plymouth;

(e)

there was also a statutory requirement to undertake a Polling District and Polling Place review every five years. Plymouth City Council last conducted a review in November 2014 and therefore was now undertaking a full review starting 1 October 2018 and finishing before the publication of the 2019/2020 Electoral Register. The review will set out the proposals for changes to Plymouth City’s polling districts and locations as part of a review carried out as required by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013. The review was not a review of electoral areas, only the polling districts and the polling places.  There was no requirement to change any existing arrangements. 

(f)

there was an issue at a polling station in Devonport whereby signs were mistakenly taken down too early prior to the closing of the poll; this was rectified quickly and was considered a vast improvement from the elections team in terms of a quick response; it was confirmed that training would be refined and that this incident would be used as an example of what not to do on election day;

(g)

an issue occurred at a polling station at a school whereby a van was parked in the carpark of the school emblazoned with political posters; it was confirmed that this issue was dealt with and a letter would be sent out to all polling stations confirming the requirement to keep polling stations free from political influence;

Members questioned the future role of the Audit & Governance Committee in overseeing the elections process; it was confirmed that the Audit & Governance Committee may like to be informed at the start of an electoral process as well as at the end to give an update. The Polling Place Review may also be of interest to the Audit and Governance Committee.

1.

to note the update on the Elections Debrief;

2.

to update the Audit and Governance Work Programme to include:

·         The Elections Process

·         The Polling Place Review