Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 16 June (HL Deb col 227), what are the associated costs of the changes to the voting system introduced by the Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2026.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The costs of mayoral elections are met by local authorities and are not held centrally, with each authority responsible for managing and retaining its own election cost data. The Government is therefore unable to provide this information.
Our estimate of the additional costs that might arise from second rounds of counting for all mayoral elections in England and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales over the 10-year period from 2026/27 to 2035/36 is £12.5m, comprising approximately £5.8m for Police and Crime Commissioner elections and £6.7m for mayoral elections. This estimate includes elections for elected local authority mayors, combined authority mayors, combined county authority mayors, the Mayor of London and Police and Crime Commissioners. This estimate does not factor in the Home Office’s plans to abolish the role of Police and Crime Commissioner.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 16 June (HL Deb col 227), what the total cost of the Greater Manchester mayoralty by-election will be.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The costs of mayoral elections are met by local authorities and are not held centrally, with each authority responsible for managing and retaining its own election cost data. The Government is therefore unable to provide this information.
Our estimate of the additional costs that might arise from second rounds of counting for all mayoral elections in England and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales over the 10-year period from 2026/27 to 2035/36 is £12.5m, comprising approximately £5.8m for Police and Crime Commissioner elections and £6.7m for mayoral elections. This estimate includes elections for elected local authority mayors, combined authority mayors, combined county authority mayors, the Mayor of London and Police and Crime Commissioners. This estimate does not factor in the Home Office’s plans to abolish the role of Police and Crime Commissioner.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL11135), whether they will take into consideration the burden that monitoring the proposed pilots of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England will impose on police forces when selecting the local authorities to carry out those pilots.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.
Local authorities were invited to submit applications to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. We are working with individual local authorities to shape the detail of their flexible voting pilots. We will continue to work with key stakeholders and local authorities throughout development and delivery of the pilots.
We are currently reviewing applications from local authorities wishing to pilot at the May 2026 elections and we will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL11135), which local authorities have applied to pilot flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England; which voting methods will be piloted; and what criteria will be applied when selecting the local authorities to operate these pilots.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.
Local authorities were invited to submit applications to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. We are working with individual local authorities to shape the detail of their flexible voting pilots. We will continue to work with key stakeholders and local authorities throughout development and delivery of the pilots.
We are currently reviewing applications from local authorities wishing to pilot at the May 2026 elections and we will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 3 November (HL11135), which organisations and political parties have been consulted on the election pilots.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.
Local authorities were invited to submit applications to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England. We are working with individual local authorities to shape the detail of their flexible voting pilots. We will continue to work with key stakeholders and local authorities throughout development and delivery of the pilots.
We are currently reviewing applications from local authorities wishing to pilot at the May 2026 elections and we will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to carry out voting system trials in the May 2026 local elections; and if so, which voting systems they will trial, and in which local authorities those trials will take place.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government committed in its manifesto to encourage greater participation in democracy. To support this, the Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.
Local authorities were invited to submit applications to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England, and these are being considered for approval.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when in 2022 officials first received counsel’s opinion from the Electoral Commission in relation to voter secrecy under the Representation of the People Act 1983.
Answered by Baroness Penn
Officials first received counsel’s advice from the Electoral Commission on 26 August 2022, and a follow-up opinion on 29 September 2022.