Issue details

Appointment of an Electoral Registration Officer and Deputies and a Returning Officer

Section 35(1) Representation of the People Act 1983 (the Act) requires the Council to appoint an officer of the Council to be the Returning Officer (RO) in local elections (district and parish).

In England, every district council and London Borough is required to appoint “an officer of the council to be [electoral] registration officer for any constituency or part of a constituency … situated in the [local authority area]. Section 8(1) and (2), Representation of the People Act 1983.

Section 52 (2) of the Act states “any of the duties and powers of a registration officer (here in this section of the Act this means ERO) may be performed and exercised by any deputy for the time being approved, by the council which appointed the registration officer, and the provisions of this Act apply to any such deputy so far as respects any duties or powers to be performed or exercised by him as they apply to the registration officer.

Decision type: Non-key

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Wards affected: (All Wards);

Notice of proposed decision first published: 28/10/2021

This decision will be taken under urgency procedures.

Reason for urgency:
These appointments were not made when the new CEO was appointed. They are Council appointments, which need to be put in place with immediate effect. The decision will be reported at the next Council meeting on 7th December 2021.

Decision due: 28 Oct 2021 by Head of Legal Services

Contact: Jane Reynolds, Assistant Director - Governance and Legal Email: jreynolds@uttlesford.gov.uk.

Decisions

28/10/2021 - Appointment of an Electoral Registration Officer and Deputies and a Returning Officer