31,500 households return electoral registration form – have you?

Around 15,000 reminders are being sent to residents who have not responded to a letter asking them to check whether their electoral registration information is correct.

It is costing Wyre Forest District Council in the region of £8,000 to send out the reminder letters. The original forms were posted at the end of July and asked residents to confirm or change their details.  This is part of the council’s annual voter registration canvass and the law requires residents to respond to the correspondence sent out. 

The canvass is to make sure that the electoral register is up to date. It also identifies any residents who are not registered so that they can be encouraged to register.  Anyone who is not currently registered will be sent information explaining how to do this or they can simply go online to apply to register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. 

The council is required to issue reminder letters if households have not replied. It has also been encouraging residents whose details have not changed to confirm the information online or by text or telephone. Using one of these methods saves the council money. 

Ian Miller, Electoral Registration Officer at Wyre Forest District Council, said:

“Thank you to everyone who has replied to the original letter.  We sent out 46,500 forms to households and we’ve had in the region of 31,500 (67%) returned.  Responding as soon as possible really helps us to keep costs down and is a saving to tax payers.  If you missed the original form, please respond to the reminder, and if your details haven’t changed please let us know online or by text or telephone. 

“If people don’t respond by Monday 9 September, we have to send canvassers out to knock on doors. This is a costly exercise and could be avoided if people respond sooner.”

Additional information is available on www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/electoralregister.