On 7th May, elections are due to take place for all sixty local council seats in Salford, plus an election for Salford City Mayor, plus the election for Greater Manchester Mayor. All are now in jeopardy after the Electoral Commission today wrote to the Government recommending a delay until the autumn.
The Commission's Chief Executive, Bob Posner, has written to Michael Gove, Minister for the Cabinet Office...
"We have been in close contact with a range of key stakeholders across the electoral community...to assess the risks, and to identify and take forward appropriate mitigations to enable the delivery of the elections" he wrote "While this work is continuing, it has already become clear that the risks are so significant as to raise serious concerns about the polls continuing to their current timetable.
"So voters can cast their ballot, polling station venues need to be secured, set up, staffed and accessed" he explained "We already know that local authorities have concerns about their ability to ensure this, particularly at the same time as continuing to manage other key services in the current circumstances. It is also vital that voters are able to hear the positions of candidates, parties and campaigners before they cast their vote; however, many forms of campaigning may not be possible, leaving insufficient space for the arguments to be heard.
"We also anticipate that as a result of the direct and indirect impacts of Covid-19, there will be significant numbers of registered electors who in practice will not have opportunity to vote, or feel inclined to vote" he added "While increased access to post and proxy voting may provide a partial solution for some electors, it would create further and additional pressures and risks in other parts of the system.
"Clearly any decisions to delay elections which are due is significant and would not normally be desirable; however, we are in unprecedented times" he wrote "The risks to delivery that have been identified are such that we cannot be confident that voters will be able to participate in the polls safely and confidently, nor that campaigners and parties will be able to put their case to the electorate.
"We therefore call on the Government to take steps to provide early clarity to all those with an interest in the electoral process; and on the available information and position we recommend the Government now delay the 7 May polls until the autumn" he added "In this context we are also mindful that the Chief Executives of local authorities and their staff across the country are necessarily focussed on the ongoing management of the impacts Covid-19 is having on their localities."
A decision on the future of the elections will be made in the very near future...
To read the full letter - click here
Update: 13th March 2020 - The Government has announced that all local and mayoral elections have been postponed for a year.
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
(3).jpeg)
.png)
(1).JPG)
