20 October 2006
Don’t wait…Register
Don’t wait to receive a visit from the Council canvassers before you complete your electoral registration form…it’s a waste of public money.
That’s the message from Wealden District Council, which, under changes to the law, now has a duty to make follow-up visits to houses in Wealden that have not completed an Electoral Registration form.
Electoral Registration Forms were sent out this summer to over 63,000 Wealden households. If you haven’t already done so, please complete and return your form as quickly as possible. The Council will shortly be commencing visits to those homes that have not yet filled one in. Doing so now will mean saving public money as a visit, required by law, then won’t be necessary.
Last year around 3,000 households failed to return their electoral registration forms and the new duty, to carry out visits where forms have not been returned, will only add additional costs to public services.
To make it easier to register, Wealden’s Electoral Services Department has been offering internet registration for those households with no changes to make to their Electoral Registration Form. The web site, www.registerbyinternet.com/wealden is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the duration of the canvass. You can also telephone (using a touchtone phone) the FREEPHONE number given on the form.
Both options require the keying-in of the special two-part security code printed on the form.
Residents have a legal duty to complete a Electoral Registration form which will be used to draw up a new Register of Electors in time for next May’s District Council elections. The Register is also used by other organisations such as banks, building societies and mobile phone companies for credit referencing checks.
