Freedom of information response
Greeters
1. Were greeters (i.e. staff positioned outside the polling station to inform potential voters about various issues)
used at any polling stations in order to turn people away due to voter ID requirements?
2. If so, at how many polling stations were greeters present out of the total number of polling stations?
3. And if so, did greeters record the number turned away, and if so would it be possible to have that data?
4. Will your council introduce or continue to use greeters to turn people away due to voter ID requirements in the
future?
5. Does the council have any further comments they’d like to make on the use of greeters (if so, please include)?
The registration of electors is governed by the Representation of the People Act 1983 as amended. Under Section 8 of the Act, the council must appoint an officer of the council to be the registration officer for any constituency or part of a constituency coterminous with or situated in the council's area. The appointed officer for Thurrock Council is our Managing Director/Chief Executive. The appointment of our Managing Director/Chief Executive as Electoral Registration Officer is separate to the appointment as Managing Director/Chief Executive, and although appointed by the council, the Electoral Registration Officer's responsibilities and duties are personal. An example of this is that the register of electors is deemed to be the property of the Electoral Registration Officer, not the local authority.
The Electoral Registration Officer does not carry out the duties on behalf of the local authority but in their own personal capacity. A list of public bodies and local authorities that are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act is available at the following website: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/schedule/1
As you will see, the Freedom of Information Act does not list any person appointed under the Representation of the People Act 1983. It follows that the Electoral Registration Officer, Returning Officer or any other person appointed under the Act are not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
If you are dissatisfied with the way in which the council have managed your FOI request you can pursue an Internal Review by contacting us using the above email address. An internal review must be submitted within 40 working days of your original reply. Your request will be considered by a senior member of the Information Management Team who will update you with the outcome of the review.
If you remain unhappy following the outcome of your Internal Review you may wish to refer your case to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and details of this organisation can be found at www.ico.org.uk . Please be advised that the ICO will not consider your case until they have confirmation that you have already been through the Internal Review stage with the council.