Election News
Overnight poll count proposals eased
Returning officers get more leeway if they are not able to start counting votes within four hours of polls closing.
Council complains over Iraq voting
Salford City Council complains at not being consulted over the siting of a polling station used by thousands of expatriate Iraqis
Commission unhappy at voter registration
The Electoral Commission claims that four in ten Registration Officers are not doing enough to promote voter registration in their local community
Labour double success in by-elections
Labour gain two seats from Liberal Democrats in the latest council by-elections.
Mixed signals from council elections
The latest council by-election results send conflicting signals from two key constituencies ahead of the general election
Why Tories need to top 40% poll mark
This year’s local elections could mark the beginning of a Labour fight back in local government, according to leading psephologists
Chief execs question overnight poll count move
Chief executives express “serious doubts” about Pariamentary moves to ensure votes at the next general election are counted overnight
Brown ducks local polls PR debate
Gordon Brown defers debate on introducing proportional representation for council elections
London boroughs call for health and benefits powers
London’s boroughs have set out a list of demands for new responsibilities that should be devolved to local government after the general election.
Labour hold Wakefield as Tories slump
Labour easily defends control of Wakefield MDC in the latest by-elections
MP dubs returning officers 'tinpot upstarts'
Chief executives who refuse to hold counts immediately after the polls close on general election night are branded ‘tinpot, upstart little town clerks’
Watchdog urges vigilance on electoral fraud
Electoral Commission warns registration officers to guard against complacency about malpractice at this year’s polls.
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Headhunters called in to widen candidate pool
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Duty to promote local democracy put on hold
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Tories lose majority in Harrogate
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Bercow backs election count protest
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Affordable housing 'a key election pledge'
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Tory majority slashed in final by-election of 2009
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Labour poll boost after Darling's PBR
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Tories lose out again in byelections
Behind the news
Things can only get better – for Labour
It surely now looks odds-on that for the fourth time in succession the general election will be held to coincide with the annual local contests.
Working to broaden the councillor base
Women, those from ethnic minorities and younger people remain as under-represented as ever and there’s little sign of the problem abating
Candidates should reflect their communities
One can’t help but feel that the LGA’s bi-annual census of local councillors will not show much change since the last one
Blog
A big vote for councils' websites
At LGCplus, we were pleased to see how well county councils used their websites to report the local elections on 4 June.
In Pictures
Councils in the snow
Browse our photos of how councils around the country are pulling out the stops to maintain services despite the snow and ice
