IRRV Alert - week ending 12th February 2021
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Preparations and contingency planning for May 2021 local elections examined (8 February 2021)
Preparations and contingency planning for May 2021 local elections examined
8 February 2021
The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee holds an evidence session on Government preparations and contingency planning for local elections in May 2021. Giving evidence are representatives of the Electoral Commission, Local Government Association and the Association of Electoral Administrators.
- Watch Parliament TV: Government preparations and contingency planning for local elections in May 2021
- Inquiry: Government preparations and contingency planning for local elections in May 2021
- Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Purpose of the session
The session will investigate current and forthcoming guidance and legislative measures to ensure upcoming local government elections are fair and safe under Covid-19 restrictions.
Elections are scheduled to take place for 24 County Councils in England, as well as elections postponed from 2020 covering the London Mayor and GLA, 7 metro mayors, 40 Police and Crime Commissioners and 124 other unitary, district and borough councils. This is an unusually high number of elections to take place on a single day and in itself may pose additional challenges to those administering, overseeing and funding them, notwithstanding additional measures needed to mitigate Covid-19 risks.
The Committee will examine:
- What adjustments or measures are necessary and proportionate to ensure safe and fair local elections go ahead in May 2021 (at this stage in the pandemic)
- How effectively adjustment/mitigation measures are being implemented and communicated
- The scale and distribution of the resources/costs involved in preparing and planning for these elections; and
- How the Government’s decision to go ahead with the elections has been determined, whether it has facilitated sufficient scrutiny and debate, and what consequences a U-turn on the date/timetable would have
Witnesses
Tuesday 9 February
At 9.30am
- Cllr James Jamieson, Chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA)
- Ailsa Irvine, Director of Electoral Administration and Guidance, Electoral Commission
- Peter Stanyon, Chief Executive, Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA)
Further information