Hackney Council To Probe Election Day Fiasco

Disappointed voters at Triangle Road polling station.

Hackney council is to carry out it’s own review into what went wrong on election night, at several polling stations on 6 May. The decision comes after the Electoral Commission announced it would be investigating why people were turned away or locked out of polling stations across the country. Results of the investigation is expected to be published next week.

A council spokeswoman said: “The Electoral Commission is conducting a review of problems at polling stations across the country. Hackney Council is working closely with them on this to learn lessons and ensure the problems experienced in Hackney never happen again.

“In addition, the Council will be conducting its own review to learn what went wrong and put this right for future elections.”

Police were called to polling stations in London, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Surrey, as queues of people began to protest after being told there was no time for them to vote.

In Hackney, voters at the Triangle Road polling station mounted a sit-in, to protest their feelings and both Diane Abbott MP for Hackney North & Stoke Newington and Meg Hillier, MP Hackney South & Shoreditch made official complaints over their supporters’ inability to vote.

Hackney’s returning officer Tim Shields, could forfeit his fee following the election mess, just as Sheffield City council’s returning officer John Mothersole did. Mothersole waived his £20,000 fee after poor organisation led to long queues and hundreds of residents complaining about not being able to vote.

The polling station debacle on election night in Hackney, is just one of many voting & electoral problems voters and contenders have encountered in Hackney. Many are still asking questions about Tory mayoral candidate, Andrew Boffs omission from a election booklet sent out to households by Hackney Council and Hackneys threat to a local community newpaper and website to remove an audio recording of a conversation between Boff and a Hackney Council employee.

No start date has been given yet for the Hackney council review.