Blog: 5 May 2023 - Rachel McKoy, LLG President

Hello All,

It’s been an exhausting week – so strange the way a shorter bank holiday can have such tiring an effect isn’t it? That said I’m definitely looking forward to the forthcoming one (could get used to this…) and the wonderful street parties and celebrations afoot to celebrate the coronation!

Leaving the fun aside though, a huge well done to all of you who took part in the elections yesterday. The new requirement for voter-ID was a big concern for many and I know from talking to some of you that in the run up, thoughts about difficulties arising on the day were very much in contemplation. I have heard reports of police having to be called to polling stations. This of course is not unprecedented, but election staff should not, under any circumstances, be subject to abuse or harassment. There’s a sort of irony here. When protecting and serving the democratic rights of the public, it's rather perverse that some, thankfully small minority of the public, would choose to rally against the people upholding their rights.

It is unclear at this stage whether vote-ID requirements served as a catalyst for some challenging, yet unreported, anecdotal polling station behaviour. The Electoral Commission was quoted as saying following the close of polls that "We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result," adding, "It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learnt for future elections." Thankfully working with a London borough means we have until 2024 to learn from you all!

As you may know, Returning Officers must return voter ID data by the 12th May 2023 which requires all collation and checks to be complete by that time. The Association of Electoral Administrations have helpfully produced a number of guidance documents and templates in respect of these elections which may well assist you. Do have a read to start to familiarise yourselves.

By 8:20 am this morning, the picture was becoming clear that many of you will be bracing yourself for, if not a change in majority party and leader, certainly a very different landscape and possibly, no overall control. Whilst there are still a number of counts to come in at the time of writing, certainly the Conservative Party were down a hefty 190 seats, whilst Labour took the most gains at 138, Liberal Democrats 59 and the Green Party up 13. In our role however, this is really only significant for the strategic direction of the council, induction of new members and the creation of new, well balanced professional relations between officer and member, the latter of which takes time. For Heads of Legal facing no overall control for the first time, reach out via the LLG Monitoring Officers and Governance group for support if needed (seriously please do – we are here to support you!). 

Finally, for those interested in how I got on in my London Marathon endeavour on the 23rd April, I can happily report I had an absolute blast! Time – a comfortable 4:37 whilst enjoying the sights and energy of the crowds. What an experience! Thank you to all those that donated to the South Norwood Community Kitchen – £1200+ was raised and they are beyond happy (see pics).

So, I wish you all a very well-deserved break this bank hol, before the business of local government once again challenges us all. Enjoy it!