Issue - meetings

To consider the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) invitation for applications from local authorities in England to pilot schemes at local elections in May 2026.

The Council considered a report in respect of the invitation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for applications from local authorities in England to pilot schemes at local elections in May 2026, with the objective of making voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and in line with the expectations of modern voters.

It was moved by Councillor Richard Henry, and seconded by Councillor Jeannette Thomas, that the Recommendations in the report be approved.

Upon the motion being put to the vote, it was RESOLVED:

1.  That Council participation in the Government’s 2026 Flexible Voting Pilots be approved, and that the 2026 the pilot submission will include:

·         a centralised voting hub based at the Council’s offices in Daneshill House, available for all electors to vote at on Polling Day (in addition to their designated polling station); and,

·         early in-person voting, commencing a week before Polling Day (on Thursday 30 April), to include the weekend and Bank Holiday Monday, at the same centralised voting hub as above. The proposed hours of poll would be from 9am to 7pm on weekdays and Saturday, and then from 10am to 4pm on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.

2.  That authority be delegated to the Returning Officer to determine with MHCLG the necessary arrangements of the pilots; agreeing the final details for the pilots that will be administered in Stevenage.