Council given over £80,000 to improve security of Electoral Register

Rochdale Council has been given £81,001 to help pay for a change that it is said will make the Electoral Register "more accurate and secure".

The Government has given this money to help with the extra costs involved with switching to Individual Electoral Registration, which up to this point were funded through existing electoral budgets.

A national formula has been used to calculate what each area needs to cover the cost of the data matching process that will ensure the vast majority of the population will transfer automatically onto the new electoral register. It will also cover other costs such as writing to people to tell them they will need to register.

Greg Clark, Minister for Cities and the Constitution, said: "This is part of a drive to improve public confidence in elections and, along with the introduction of online registration, make the process of registering to vote easier and more convenient.

“We are on track to modernise electoral registration to tackle electoral fraud and increase public trust in elections - a trust which is at the heart of our democracy.

“Next year’s switch to individual electoral registration can only be achieved by central and local government across the North West working together, and the funding is the latest step in this process to make sure our electoral register is as complete and accurate as it can be.”

The new system of registering to vote will mean an end to the current forms, where the 'head of the household' fills in the names of everyone eligible to vote. Next summer everyone will take individual responsibility for registering and online registration will be available, making registration more secure and convenient.

The new funding has been agreed with local authorities to cover the extra expense the change may incur.

Most people will not have to do anything when the new system comes in thanks to the process of 'data matching', where the current electoral register will be matched against other public databases. A dry run of the system carried out across the country over the summer suggested that an average of 78% of people will be matched in this way and will be on the electoral roll automatically, without needing to register. The rest will receive a letter and a visit from local authorities during the canvass.