New Assembly wants investigation into London elections

The London Assembly today unanimously agreed a motion to investigate how the Mayor of London and London Assembly elections were conducted.

During the first Annual Meeting of the new Assembly, it was unanimously agreed that a Working Group be established to urgently investigate the London elections. The Assembly has asked for the Barnet part of the investigation to be concluded before the European Referendum.

Gareth Bacon AM, who proposed the motion said:

“I’m delighted that all parties have supported my motion calling for an immediate investigation into the appalling performance by Barnet’s election team.

An entirely avoidable administrative error led to voters being turned away from 155 polling stations for three hours – a situation that is nothing short of a disgrace. Faith in the system will have been undermined by the shambles witnessed at Barnet, and later by the count at City Hall which was delayed by close to seven hours. It is vital that that voters’ faith is restored with a swift and thorough investigation.”

Len Duvall AM, who seconded the motion said:

“Londoners have to have confidence in their voting system and clearly that confidence was undermined by the problems seen during these elections. Residents in Barnet who were unable to cast their vote will understandably feel let down by the system and their anger is justified.

Lessons have to be learnt, and quickly. We need a full, transparent investigation into what went wrong and what needs to change. We have a duty to protect the democratic rights of Londoners and we don’t want to see those errors repeated.”

The full text of the Motion is:

This Assembly wishes to express its disappointment in the way London Elects and the London Borough of Barnet Returning Officer conducted the Mayoral and London Assembly elections and proposes the setting up of a working group to examine what happened, as has always happened in previous elections, alongside assessing the way in which the elections were carried out across London.

In the London Borough of Barnet the supplementary register, rather than the full register, was supplied to all 155 polling stations. By the time the error was spotted and remedial action taken, estimates suggest a significant number of voters were disenfranchised.

The Mayoral and London Assembly elections were overseen by London Elects, and the counting of ballots on Friday 6th May 2016 was delayed by nearly seven hours following a computer system failure. The full London Assembly results were not announced until shortly before midnight whilst the Mayoral ballot was only formally read in the early hours of Saturday 7^th May 2016.

A working group should be formed and should include in its investigations the London Borough of Barnet’s and London Elects’ handling of the Mayoral and London Assembly elections, and examine what changes should be made to prevent such failings from reoccurring. The working group should also assess how the Mayoral and London Assembly elections were conducted across the capital with the aim of encouraging best practice.

This investigation should be completed at the earliest opportunity, with the Barnet part of the investigation concluding before the European Referendum so the Council and the Electoral Commission, and with London Elects if necessary, have time to make any changes in Barnet to ensure that this does not happen again. The working group should report to the London Assembly’s Oversight Committee.