Returning officers at elections who fail to complete their job properly will no longer be entitled to claim their entire fee. That's a proposal being put forward as part of the new Electoral Registration Bill which also introduces individual registration to combat fraud.
At present, returning officers are paid a large fee for their work. They would suggest that it is a fee which is justified given the high profile of the role and the responsibilities involved. It is a role which is usually filled by the chief executive of the local authority and the fees often range between £12,000 and £20,000.
But what seems off-kilter is that the post-holders are still entitled to the full amount even if they deliver a less than perfect election. In recent elections around the UK we have seen missing marked registers, wrongly tallied vote numbers and even ballot boxes which have gone uncounted.
I have worked with many returning officers in my career and, sadly, they have not all been excellent. The role - and fees - have sometimes been picked up by someone who doesn't know the job and is blind to the complexities involved.
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At present, returning officers are paid a large fee for their work. They would suggest that it is a fee which is justified given the high profile of the role and the responsibilities involved. It is a role which is usually filled by the chief executive of the local authority and the fees often range between £12,000 and £20,000.
But what seems off-kilter is that the post-holders are still entitled to the full amount even if they deliver a less than perfect election. In recent elections around the UK we have seen missing marked registers, wrongly tallied vote numbers and even ballot boxes which have gone uncounted.
I have worked with many returning officers in my career and, sadly, they have not all been excellent. The role - and fees - have sometimes been picked up by someone who doesn't know the job and is blind to the complexities involved.
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