Category Archives: EDDC

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

28 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, East Devon Tories, EDDC, Independent Councillors, Labour ( Devon), Lib Dem (local), Voting

“Independent lite” or Independent – a question

Local people who registered as truly Independent candidates on 5 April or well before can generally be judged by prior actions, sometimes over many years. Involvement in, and fighting for, local issues and supporting no party and therefore no party whip or party line. They have never (or perhaps only a very long, long time ago) been in a mainstream party. They deliberately eschewed party politics to focus only on local issues.

“Independent Lites” on the other hand have had long track records of supporting mainstream parties up to now.

This raises the question – if you were, up to now, Tory, Labour or Lib Dem councillor or candidate but you are now “Independent Lite” what are your political beliefs NOW?

What are you “Independent Lite” of and what do you still support in your former party? You went into politics under their banner and their policies by choice – not wanting to be an Independent – what has changed?

If you were a Tory and changed your mind are you now to the left or right of your former party? Are you, for example, leaning more towards UKIP or even further right but not yet ready to join them?

If you were Labour – are you similarly now further to the left or right of your party and on which issues? What effect do you think they had locally to change your stance now.

If you have left Lib Dems or Greens what parts of their policies did you disagree with that made you leave?

It strikes Owl that “Independent Lites” need to provide us with a lot more information about WHY they have changed allegiance before we can decide if they truly are Independent.

It will be SO interesting to see where some of these “Independent Lites” place themselves on the political spectrum and on local issues after 2 May!

Some of them are so used to being whipped they may feel an overwhelming need to continue it!

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

28 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, EDDC, Ian Thomas, Independent Councillors, Voting

Tory EDDC Leader defection goes national (on a pro-Lib Dem website)

“Very odd timing for this news about the now former Conservative leader of East Devon Council, Ian Thomas:

The leader of East Devon District Council has quit the Conservative Party…

Cllr Thomas blamed the performance of the Party nationally for his departure and emphasised it had nothing to do with local issues.

He also added that if re-elected, he will sit as an Independent. [Devon Live].

What makes the timing so odd is that this has come after his nomination papers went in… with the Conservative Party name and logo.

Ian Thomas is therefore still appearing on ballot papers as the Conservative Party candidate.”

Conservative council leader leaves it oddly late to quit his party

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

28 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, EDDC, Voting

“On Thursday 2 May, voters will head to polling stations across England for local elections.

There are 8,425 seats up for grabs in a total of 248 councils, including metropolitan, district and unitary authorities.

What happened last time?

In many cases, these seats were last contested in 2015, on the same day as that year’s general election, in which the Conservatives won a majority in Parliament. A lot has changed since then, of course.

The Conservatives are defending the largest number of seats, with 4,906 Tory councillors up for re-election, compared with 2,113 for Labour.

The Liberal Democrats have 647 seats to defend, UKIP 176 and the Green Party 71. There are also 512 seats held by independents being fought.

Which are the councils to watch?

30 unitary authorities will be contested in their entirety – including Bedford, Brighton, Stoke, Redcar and York
There are no elections in London this year, but voters will be going to polls almost everywhere else.

There are 30 unitary councils, including Bedford, Stoke-on-Trent, Redcar and Cleveland and York, which will be re-elected in their entirety.

There will be a battle royal in Brighton where, after a series of defections and by-elections, the Conservatives are now the largest party, having overtaken Labour.

All of the 54 seats are up for grabs and the Green Party – which used to run the council between 2011 and 2015 – is also looking to boost its presence.

In Cheshire West and Chester, with all seats to be voted on, the council is on a knife-edge with both Labour and the Conservatives fighting to be the largest party.

Milton Keynes, Bolton, Calderdale and Blackpool may also switch hands, or the ruling party could lose its majority and surrender overall control.

A third of the council seats are up for grabs in Peterborough.

With a parliamentary by-election potentially on the horizon – a recall petition having been launched against sitting MP Fiona Onasanya – the local polls will give a good indication of the town’s mood.

What impact will Brexit have?

The Conservatives did relatively well in 2015 and the pressure will be on Theresa May this time.

Many voters will be motivated by purely local issues or what the political parties call “pavement politics”, whether it is bin collections, parking or housing.

But Brexit is hard to ignore right now.

The polls will be a big test for Theresa May, who is under growing pressure from her own MPs and local activists angered by delays to the UK’s departure from the EU.

Labour’s performance will also be closely watched, and the extent to which it is able to appeal simultaneously to Remain and Leave voters in different parts of the country.

UKIP is fielding about 1,400 candidates, while the newly launched Brexit Party are focusing their attention on the European elections.

On the other side of the Brexit argument, the new centrist party Change UK did not register in time to put up candidates for the local elections.

This means that pro-Remain support, if it is an issue for local election voters, could work its way to Green Party and Liberal Democrat candidates.

What about mayoral contests?

There are six mayoral contests taking place, in Bedford, Copeland, Leicester, Mansfield, Middlesbrough and a Metro Mayor for North of Tyne.

Voter ID trials continuing

The government is continuing with its voter ID trials, which it says is part of an effort to reduce voter fraud and ensure vote security.

Some councils will ask for photo ID, such as a driving licence. Some will ask for a mix of photo and non-photo ID, while some will accept polling cards.

In Broxtowe, Craven, Derby, North Kesteven and Braintree, voters will have to show either one piece of photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID. In Mid Sussex, Watford and North West Leicestershire, people will have to bring their polling cards or photo ID.

Voters in Pendle and Woking will only be able to show photo ID at the polling station to be given a ballot paper. East Staffordshire and Ribble Valley councils pulled out of the trial.

What about the rest of the UK?

Voters will be going to the polls in Northern Ireland to elect 462 councillors across 11 council areas. You can read more about the elections in this guide.

There are no local elections this year in Wales or Scotland.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47961144

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

26 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, East Devon Electoral/Returning Officer, EDDC, Ian Thomas, Voting

Comments

1 Comment

EDDC lays down the law on Ian Thomas defection

“… Mark Williams, East Devon District Council’s chief executive, said: “This is a personal decision taken by councillor Thomas. From a returning officer perspective the election for the Trinity ward will continue.

“Cllr Thomas has been validly nominated to stand in the Trinity Ward and the ballot papers will show that he is standing as a Conservative candidate as this was the basis on which he was nominated. The change in circumstances does not countermand the election process and it will go ahead on May 2.

“From a chief executive perspective, cllr Thomas is the Leader of the Council and remains as such until the circumstances set out in Article 6.03 of the Council’s Constitution occur. These are that either cllr Thomas resigns as leader; is suspended from being a councillor; is no longer a councillor; is removed by resolution of the council; or another leader is elected at the Annual Council Meeting on the May 22.”

https://honiton.nub.news/n/east-devon-council-leader-resigns-party-days-before-election

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

26 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, East Devon Tories, EDDC, Ian Thomas, Independent Councillors

Thomas makes no mention of his political defection on his political website

Bit disingenuous, no?  No updated post since 5 April 2019 …

Proud to be Independent? Seems not.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

26 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, EDDC, Independent Councillors, Voting

“Millions Of Voters Forced To Choose Between Just Two Parties In Local Elections”

Fortunately, many (real) Independents standing in East Devon.

“Millions of voters will be forced to choose between just two political parties in next week’s local elections despite plummeting support for the Conservatives and Labour, new analysis shows.

More than 2.6m potential voters in 816 council seats across England will face a choice between just two candidates despite nearly half (40%) of the public supporting parties that are not the “big two”, up from 20% in December, according to YouGov polls.

Nearly half of the two-way contests – 56% – will see the Tories and Labour battle it out without any challenge, while a further 20% are Tory-Liberal Democrat battles. …”

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/millions-forced-to-choose-between-just-two-parties-in-local-elections_uk_5cc2f784e4b0817069682138

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

26 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, East Devon Tories, EDDC, Ian Thomas, Independent Councillors, Voting

THAT question, part 2 …

Comment from retiring Independent councillor Roger Giles on the fact that Councillor Ian Thomas resigned from the Conservative Party on 17 April 2019 but neither he nor the local Conservative Party made this known to the public until yesterday:

“There was, of course, a meeting of the Conservative-run East Devon District Council on 24 April.

The meeting was chaired by Ian Thomas, although he was apparently no longer a member of the Conservative Party.

Nothing was said at the meeting about his changed situation.

I imagine many people at the meeting were unaware of the very strange situation.

I imagine the meeting might have taken a different course had it been generally known.”

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

26 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, East Devon Tories, EDDC, Ian Thomas, Independent Councillors, Voting

Questions about “THAT” resignation … the missing 12 days

“Cllr Thomas said: “With a heavy heart, I confirm my resignation from the Conservative Party on April 17, 2019.”

https://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/ian-thomas-resigns-from-conservative-group-1-6017272

Owl is puzzled.

Why did Councillor Thomas wait until yesterday (a week later) to make this information public?

Was Councillor Thomas aware before 5 April 2019 that he was so disaffected by his party that he might feel the need to resign from it?

If so, why did he not resign before 5 April?

If not, what new information did Councillor Thomas receive between 5 April (when nomination papers had to be officially in for local elections) and 17 April 2019 when he resigned?

What national policies of his former party did Councillor Thomas disagree with that caused him to believe he could not continue in it at local level – what issues was it influencing locally that he disagreed with?

Councillor Thomas is now “Independent” so free from party whipping and completely free to discuss his views on this important topic so that voters in his ward understand what he will do differently in future – and why.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

23 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, Councillor Cathy Gardner EDA, East Devon Alliance, EDDC, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation, Local Government Finance

East Devon Alliance Councillor Gardner clarifies Sidmouth Herald EDDC debt story

Owl reported this story from the Sidmouth Herald in full yesterday:

https://eastdevonwatch.org/2019/04/22/more-than-86-6million-in-outstanding-loans-is-owed-by-east-devon-district-council/

East Devon Alliance councillor Cathy Gardner has contacted EDW to clarify the story:

“To my knowledge (as a District Cllr), EDDC has over £80m in debt because it had to borrow money to hold on to its council housing when the conservative government were making councils sell it off. So this is debt for a good & bad reason!

I’m surprised that the ‘politically neutral’ press officers have not added this to their comment to the Herald. I’ve objected to the council proposing to borrow money to invest in commercial property (to generate income), something else forced on them by the conservative government cuts to council grants (now zero).

The relocation from the Knowle is another matter. If re-elected I will continue to push for transparency on costs and to see if any of the Conservative group can ever prove break even.”

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

22 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, East Devon Tories, EDDC, Knowle/Honiton/Exmouth relocation

Comments

2 Comments

“More than £86.6million in outstanding loans is owed by East Devon District Council”

EDDC blames the overspend on loans (see last paragraph below) on “the purchase of assets related to service delivery, these being assets required “for recycling and refuse collection”. Are we to believe that it has ALL been spent on waste contracts and NOT on the £10 MILLION on HQ relocation (originally described as “cost neutral”)?

Owl would be interested to see a breakdown of the costs (but bets they will be conveniently avoided under a “commercial confidentiality” clause with the contractor …

“The amount the authority has borrowed has also increased by £3million in just one year.

Experts have warned councils are risking taking on too much debt while others say that councils are simply adapting to plug funding gaps made by Government cuts.

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy says delivery of public services could be put at risk by unsustainable borrowing, after debt among UK local authorities rose to more than £100 billion.

By the end of December, EDDC’s outstanding loans stood at £86.6 million, according to figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

This was a four per cent increase compared to a year ago, and one per cent higher than at the end of 2013-14.

All the outstanding loans were long-term advances, which last for more than one year and are used to finance large projects or purchases.

The Chartered Institute says many cash-strapped councils are taking out large loans to buy property, as the rent they collect can be higher than the interest they pay on the loans.

Funding for councils fell by almost half between 2010-11 and 2017-18, according to the National Audit Office.

The government’s Public Works Loan Board was the sole lender to EDDC as of December.

The loan board offers low-interest loans to councils, without requiring them to prove they can afford the repayments.

There is no limit to the amount councils can borrow from it.

Don Peebles, head of policy at the Chartered Institute, said: “With government funding in decline, it is unsurprising councils are having to adapt and find alternatives.

“While councils are borrowing for a wide range of purposes, such as building houses and investing in major infrastructure, one trend which has been concerning is the growth in investment in commercial property – which exposes public finances to new risks.”

A spokeswoman for the MHCLG said: “Councils are responsible for managing their own finances and making the right decisions for the communities they serve – including making appropriate investments.

“Guidance on council investments was updated in April 2018 with new codes that strike the right balance between allowing councils to continue to be innovative while ensuring that taxpayers’ money is properly protected.”

An EDDC spokesman said: “The annual increase in borrowing identified was used to finance the purchase of assets related to service delivery, these being assets required for recycling and refuse collection.”

https://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/outstanding-loans-at-east-devon-district-council-1-6004947

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

22 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, East Devon Alliance, East Devon Tories, EDDC, Independent Councillors, Voting

9 days to local elections – today’s picture

Independent groups have sprung up all over the south-west – there must be a reason …..

You know it makes sense – and so do an awful lot of other people!

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

21 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, Developers/ Development, EDDC, Housing (local)

“Land Registry statistics say house prices in East Devon increased by 18.4 per cent in the two-and-a-half-years since the Brexit referendum”

EAST DEVON’S DEVELOPERS REAP THEIR STRATOSPHERIC REWARDS – DOUBLE REGIONAL AND NATIONAL FIGURES

“The growth of house prices since the Brexit referendum has bucked the national and regional trend, statistics show.

In the two-and-a-half years before the UK voted to leave the EU, the average house price went up by 9.1 per cent from £251,778 to £303,162, Land Registry figures show.

In the same time period after the vote, prices went up by 18.4 per cent.

This is in contrast the regional and national picture.

House prices in the South West increased by 17.7 per cent in the two-and-a-half years before the referendum but only grew by 7.7 per cent in the same period after the vote.

This downward trend is matched nationally, where property prices prior to the referendum grew by 19.6 per cent and in the 30 months after, growth fell to 6.1 per cent. …”

https://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/post-brexit-house-price-growth-1-6004876

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

19 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, EDDC, Environment (local)

Global warming: a local initiative

A correspondent has sent the following email to EDDC CEO Mark Williams:

“Dear Mark,

Back in 2006 you supported me in a move to show Planners the Al Gore film “The Inconvenient Truth’ about climate change. You allowed staff a half hour of work time on top of their lunch break to enable the departments staff to watch that film. Thank you!

Tonight I was reminded of this event and your support while watching David Attenborough s documentary ‘Climate Chsnge: the Truth’.

What is scary for me is that the film tonight was so similar to that of Gore’s almost 15 years ago. Pleasing in that Attenborough verifies all the fears that Gore postulated then with our increasingly sophisticated technology. But the reality is the same.

In what way have we changed our practices to respond to our pending oblivion on this planet. ? The answer: not enough.”

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

17 Apr 2019

Posted under

Developers/ Development, EDDC, Planning System, Sidford Business Park, Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury

VERY IMPORTANT update on Sidmouth Business Park appeal

NOTE: a planning inquiry is much more formal than a hearing and usually involves lawywers, examination of evidence and cross-examination:

Public Inquiries & Hearings

“We have now been advised by the District Council that the Planning Inspector has determined that instead of holding a Hearing into the planning appeal as we previously had been told, the Inspector has now decided to hold an Inquiry which could last up to three days. The first of these days is due to start on 16 July. We are assuming that the Inspector will therefore have penciled in the Inquiry to be held on

16, 17 and 18 July

The Inquiry will be held in public and will be held locally. If you have any interest in attending then put these dates in your diary now!

In our last Update we asked you to consider submitting additional evidence to the Planning Inspector and we know that a number have done so, and thank you to those who have.

The District Council’s latest communication advises that the Inspector has put back the date by which additional submissions can be made. The new deadline by which any additional comments have to be received by the Inspector is now

17 May 2019

We again would encourage as many of you as possible who wish to, to submit comments even at this late stage. As the District Council refused planning permission solely on grounds related to highways matters you should only submit highways related comments. In doing so you might want to address matters that include –

Evidence or statements regarding the effect of noise, vibration, damage and pollution on your properties (and vehicles) due to HGV or other traffic

Effect on the health of residents attributable to air quality

Effect of pollution on children walking to school and in the playground of the primary school

Road safety issues – lack of pavements or narrow pavements, plus no lollipop lady, crossing nor traffic lights to help you cross safely with your children

Traffic delays due to congestion at the various pinch points on the A375 in both Sidford and Sidbury

Evidence of vehicles mounting and/or diving on pavements

Where possible your comments should be supported by photographic evidence.

We believe that it is important for as many photographs and/or videos are submitted to the Planning Inspector showing images of traffic congestion/difficulties along the A375 at any point between Sidford and Cotford in Sidbury.

Attached, once again, is a brief guide as to how to present any submission that you make.

Best wishes

Campaign Team

GUIDE TO PRESENTATION OF SUBMISSIONS:

Guidance on submitting additional evidence to the Planning Inspector

All comments and evidence must –

• be received by the Planning Inspector by no later than 22 April 2019. Anything received after this date will not be considered by the Inspector.

• quote the planning appeal reference for in order for it to be considered by the Inspector. The reference is – APP/U1105/W/19/3221978.

• quote the address of the appeal site i.e. the Business Park. The address to be quoted is – Land East of Two Bridges, Two Bridges Road, Sidford.

• your name and address

• state “I am against the appeal proposals” and explain whether it is for the same reasons as given by the District Council or, if not, explain your own reasons

The reasons given by the District Council in refusing the planning application were –

“1. The proposed development, by virtue of the proposed B8 uses, would result in an increase of HGV traffic on the surrounding road network, both in the vicinity of the site and through Sidbury which both suffer from inadequate road widths and a lack of footways. As such increased HGV movements within this area will result in conflicts between vehicles, and between vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, to the detriment of highway safety. The proposed development is therefore considered contrary to paragraph 32 of the National Planning Policy Framework and Strategies 26 (Development at Sidmouth), and Policies TC7 (Adequacy of Road Network and Site Access) of the adopted East Devon Local Plan 2013 – 2031.”

The Planning Inspector asks that any additional submissions are –

• in a font such as Arial or Verdana in a size of 11 point or larger

• use A4 paper wherever possible

• number the pages of the documents

• make sure photocopied and scanned documents are clear and legible

• use black and white for documents unless colour is essential

• put any photographs (both originals and photocopies should be in colour),
maps, plans, etc, in a separate appendix and cross reference them within the main body of the document

• print documents on both sides of a page. You should use paper of good enough quality that something printed on one side of the page does not show through to the other side

• do not send original documents

• if possible, send 3 copies

You should send your written submission and/or photographs/videos –
By post to:

The Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/C Eagle Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol BS1 6PN

By email to: west2@pins.gsi.gov.uk
Planning Portal: https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Remember all evidence must be received by the Planning Inspector by no later than

17 May 2019

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

12 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, Developers/ Development, Development Management Committee, EDDC, Greendale, Independent Councillors

20 days to local elections: today’s picture

This image below shows current planning issues at Greendale Business Park – many of which have been allowed, or allowed to drag on, by EDDC Tory councillors who form the majority decision-makers in “planning” and planning “enforcement” (those inverted commas are there deliberately!). Many of Greendale’s planning applications have been approved retrospectively.

Independent Councillor Geoff Jung works tirelessly (in the face of great difficulty) to try to ensure that Greendale stays within its proper boundaries – but it is a never-ending task:

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

11 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, Audit (EDDC), EDDC

EDDC external auditors being investigated for their work with failed EDDC HQ builder

“Britain’s audit watchdog said on Thursday it was investigating the audits by Grant Thornton UK of some financial statements of Interserve, the outsourcer that was taken over by lenders last month.

Scrutiny of Britain’s “Big Four” accounting firms has been spurred in the past year by a handful of investigations into listed company’s financial reporting as well as the collapse of Carillion and Poundworld, which led to an inquest in auditing industry standards.

One of the British government’s biggest contractors, and a peer of collapsed infrastructure and outsourcing group Carillion, Interserve was placed in administration in mid-March after shareholders rejected a rescue plan to deal with its debts.

The Financial Reporting Council said it was probing the audit of the company’s financial statements for 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Grant Thornton UK did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of work hours.

The FRC is already investigating the accounting firm’s audit of cafe chain owner Patisserie’s financial statements for 2015-2017 after the discovery of a black hole in its finances led to the breakup and sale of the group.

The run of bad news has led to calls by lawmakers for the breakup of Britain’s “Big Four” accounting firms Ernst and Young, KPMG, Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers.”

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-interserve-investigation/uk-watchdog-investigating-grant-thornton-interserve-audit-idUKKCN1RN0IN

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

9 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, Air pollution, EDDC, Sidford Business Park, Sidmouth/ Sidford/ Sidbury

Sidford Business Park: deadline for appeal comments approaching

“Representatives for and against the multimillion pound proposal to build on land at Two Bridges in Sidford have until April 22 to send in evidence and comments to the Planning Inspector.

The Say NO to Sidford Business Park has mounted a final push for objectors to send in statements relating to highway concerns after the application was refused on those grounds back in October last year.

The campaign has raised £1,500 towards legal representation at appeal proceedings.

A group spokesman said: “We had been anticipating having to put a plea out to raise significantly more funds in order to fund legal representation at the appeal hearing. At this stage however we do not think this is necessary as we believe we have sufficient funds to support the work that is required over the next few crucial weeks.

“We may however possibly need to consider raising additional funds in a few months time should we decide to seek a professional representative to take the lead on our behalf at the appeal hearing.”

https://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/say-no-to-sidford-business-park-raise-1-500-towards-planning-appeal-process-1-5979874

Say No to Sidford Business Park Facebook page here:
https://m.facebook.com/sayNOtoSidfordBusinessPark/

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

7 Apr 2019

Posted under

Accountability, East Devon Electoral/Returning Officer, EDDC, Voting

How well did our Election Officer do in 2015? So badly East Devon ended up in a highly critical Electoral Commission report

Remember, EDDC Electoral Officer (Mark Williams, CEO) has been doing this job for years, gets paid extra for it, his budget spending on it is secret it and he cannot be scrutinised by a Freedom of Information request. AND he “lost” 6,000 voters in the previous election, which caused him to be hauled before a Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee!

Report: Electoral Commission
Assessment of the performance of Returning Officers at the May 2015 polls

“East Devon

In East Devon a number of issues arose during the election; we have assessed that the RO did not meet elements of the performance standards with regards to the following issues:

• incorrect instructions on postal voting statements in a number of wards, which wrongly advised electors to vote for one candidate only in wards where there were two or three candidates to be elected

• the initial process put in place for opening returned postal voters’ ballot papers as a result of the incorrect information on the postal voting
statements was in contravention of both our guidance and the relevant legislation

We concluded that the RO did not meet elements of performance standard 1 and 2 because of the impact that the postal voting statement error may have had on voters, through potential confusion and consequently on their confidence that their vote would be counted as intended.

In addition, and resulting from this error, the initial process followed on the first day of the opening of postal voters’ ballot papers (when 172 covering envelopes were received) was in contradiction to both our guidance and the legislation.

This practice was stopped the following day when we brought the infringement of the legislation to the attention of the RO. This also may have impacted on the confidence of those standing for election in the administration of the election.”

Click to access Assessment-of-the-performance-of-Returning-Officers-at-the-May-2015-polls.pdf