Source · Select Committees · Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 20
20
Rejected
Conduct a comprehensive Government review of election funding and administrator pay rates.
Conclusion
A review of the funding of elections should be carried out by the Government and published to coincide with the first report of readiness for elections. This review should look at how funding structures can be simplified and consider whether money is being spent in the most efficient way. As part of this review, it should be considered how the roles of electoral administrators have changed, and what might be the appropriate rates of pay for the functions they now perform. (Recommendation, Paragraph 72)
Government Response Summary
The government rejected the recommendation to carry out and publish a review of election funding, stating that remuneration for electoral administrators is a matter for local authorities, despite describing efforts to provide greater funding certainty and access to contingency funds.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
While the Government continues to work alongside local authorities and their elections teams to provide support in the run-up to elections, planning and contingency remains the responsibility of statutorily independent Returning Officers, based within the local authorities, with the Electoral Commission having responsibility for overseeing elections delivery. We conclude, therefore, that at this time, it would not be conducive, nor appropriate, for the Government to adopt the recommendation to produce an annual readiness report, as the planning and delivery of elections falls within the autonomy of independent Returning Officers. Further, the Government’s recently published Strategy for Elections makes provision for greater powers for Returning Officers to utilise council resources, by outlining the intention to introduce legislation which will ensure the role is held by a significant senior official within the local authority. We are keen to ensure Returning Officers are fully supported to deliver their independent roles with the tools they need, but it would be inappropriate for Government to step too far into the sphere of what they are responsible for delivering. Notwithstanding the above, we recognise that those citizens who come forward to fulfil positions such as poll clerks play a crucial role in the successful delivery of our elections, and there were undeniably issues with their recruitment and retention during the General Election. Our Review of Electoral Registration and Conduct recognised the increasing challenges in recruiting polling station staff, and the increasingly complex framework within which those staff have to deliver on polling day. The Review recommended further work across the sector to identify ways to recruit and support polling station staff, as well as further work to simplify and streamline polling station processes. It also recommended that legislation be made consistent at all reserved polls across Great Britain to ensure that resources of local councils, such as staff, are available to Returning Officers for the running of the poll. This will aid in ensuring the reliable and smooth delivery and running of elections. We note the Committee’s recommendation for a resilience plan in case of supplier failure. Elections are delivered on a local level, and it is for statutorily independent Returning Officers to ensure they have necessary supply contracts and contingencies in place. However, as set out in our Strategy for Elections, we intend to bring forward changes to legislation which will support both electors and administrators in the postal voting process, including the ability to use different voting mechanisms should issues arise. These changes will aid in ensuring the robustness of the postal voting system. Turning to the Committee’s recommendation on funding, a comprehensive review of elections funding for polls paid for from the Consolidated Fund was completed in 2024. As such, we would not consider a further review to be required at this time. The 2024 review resulted in: a. the publication of new and detailed guidance for Returning Officers, produced in consultation with the sector; b. the introduction of pay bands for most election roles, aligned with local authority rates of pay and developed in consultation with the sector; c. a new digital system for submitting elections claims; and d. improvements to the scrutiny process to enable quicker settlement of claims for Returning Officers. As well as the 2024 review, on 20 June 2025, the Government published the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation which set out the approach to radically simplify local authority funding, to provide them with more flexibility and certainty over a greater proportion of funding. New Burdens grant funding for the Electoral Integrity Programme, which delivered the changes from the Elections Act 2022, has now been merged into the Local Government Finance Settlement. By implementing this new process, local authorities will now have greater freedom to deliver on their priorities. The process will also give greater certainty over what funding will be received and when. We want to ensure all local authorities have confidence in contingency funding and are able to easily access it when required, which is why we will also continue to provide additional funding via a justification-led bid process in the 2025/26 financial year, should it be required. The remuneration of electoral administrators, however, is a matter for local authorities. Finally, the Electoral Commission is responsible for providing guidance and support to Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers preparing for and running elections. We will continue to work proactively alongside the Commission, local authority elections teams and the wider electoral community to support readiness for elections, as well as in the process of implementation of the upcoming changes outlined in our Strategy for Elections.