Investigation into reports of 'missing' Wirral postal vote

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Investigation into reports of 'missing' Wirral postal vote forms

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An investigation is to be launched into reports of missing postal vote papers in Wirral.

The local authority has confirmed it has had more than three dozen requests for ballot papers to be re-issued in the closely fought Wirral South marginal seat - but insists the papers had been sent out.

Wirral South is one of the marginal seats which could decide the General Election – Labour held the seat with a majority of just 531 back in 2010.

Then, Alison McGovern held off the challenge of Conservative Jeff Clarke to take the seat previously held by Ben Chapman.

This time round the Tories have a new candidate, John Bell, who will be competing alongside Ms McGovern, Liberal Democrat Elizabeth Jewkes, the Greens’ Paul Cartlidge and UKIP candidate David Scott.

Wirral South resident David Cleland from Heswall said he had spoken to a number of people living near him who registered for postal votes but had not received the forms.

Mr Cleland said: “I spoke to the postman too and he said he had been accosted by quite a few people about it.”

Wirral council chief executive Eric Robinson said: “We are aware that postal ballot papers don’t appear to have been delivered to a small number of addresses in one Heswall postal district. These were given to the Royal Mail for delivery on either 21st or 24th April, alongside batches of papers that have since been completed and returned, so it is unclear what has happened.

“This will be investigated after the election.

“Where people have told us they have not received their postal ballot papers, we have been reissuing them and will continue to do so until 5pm tomorrow.

“Clearly, at this stage it is not possible for this to be done by post, but people can still come to Wallasey Town Hall until 5pm on the day of the election to pick up another ballot paper in order to use their vote.”

The council says to date it has had 39 requests for postal ballot papers to be reissued in this district. 795 people registered for postal votes in this district and 691 papers have already been completed and returned.