ELECTIONS 2010

West Lancashire Pensioners’ report. 6th June 2010

Well here we are, the 6th June 2010  and it appears the Sunday Telegraph has picked up the many concerns of the public with their local returning officers, At least six of the officials responsible for the chaos which left hundreds unable to vote have collected substantial bonuses for their work on polling day. The Sunday Telegraph has established that returning officers in Liverpool, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Islington, Milton Keynes, Lewisham  and Runnymede, Surry , have accepted payments averaging £12,000 each in addition to their normal six-figure salaries. Manchester’s Sir Howard Bernstein, said he was “considering” whether to take £19000 returning officer bonus after at least 300 voters were turned away from two polling stations in the Withington constituency , Sir Howard’s normal salary is £199,000 a year. John Turner , chief executive of the association of electoral administers, said; “the whole question of returning officer fees needs to be reviewed and brought up to date” It is just another aspect of elections where we need to ask whether it is fit for purpose and appropriate in the modern age.

The Sheffield City Council boss has already given up his £20,000 returning officer fee after long queues stopped people voting at the general election. Police were called to sit-in protests at three polling stations in the city after hundreds were unable to vote. The council’s chief executive, John  Mothersole, who was responsible for voting, apologised and admitted the council had “got things wrong”. The Electoral commission is carrying out a review into what happened

We have been unsuccessful to date finding out whether West Lancashire Borough Council manage a policy similar to the above. This again shows the discrimination between public sector ethics and the private sector. You will be aware of this if you are a pensioner and a carer, you are only  eligible for one benefit so therefore you only get your pension, and in doing so you are helping to save the country £87billion per year so that the public services can be paid twice.