Devon councillors fear May's local elections 'may not be safe'
They have raised concerns after the Government confirmed that they will be going ahead as planned
Devon councillors have expressed their fears about how safe and practical it is for the May local elections to go ahead as planned.
On Friday, the Government confirmed that the May 6 elections would be going ahead as scheduled, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
They said that that the public health response to Covid-19, not least the vaccination programme, means that they can commit to go ahead with the polls with confidence, and they were currently working with the Electoral Commission to ensure they were setting out clearly how social distancing and other rules apply specifically to all aspects of the polls, and they will maintain the choice for voters between in person and absent voting (using a postal or proxy vote).
As well as the delayed 2020 local elections in Exeter and Plymouth, and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections, the regularly scheduled 2021 Devon County Council elections will take place, as well as a series of delayed by-elections, and Neighbourhood Plan referendums on May 6.
There will be an estimated £92 million of government grant funding that will be provided to local authorities for the elections; of this, £31 million is an uplift to directly address costs associated with making the elections Covid-19 secure.
The Government said: "Everyone who feels comfortable going to a supermarket or a post office should also feel confident attending a polling station in May. We encourage anybody who is shielding, or who would prefer not to attend a polling station, to apply for a postal or proxy vote ahead of the polls."
But concerns have been raised by existing Devon County councillors over whether it was necessary to hold the elections in May, and given the current guidance that canvassing and leafleting as part of campaigning would be against the law, how safe and fair the level playing field for Independent candidates is.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked all 60 current Devon County Councillors for their views as to whether the elections should be going ahead in May. Some of their responses are below.
Cllr Jackie Hook, Liberal Democrat councillor for Newton Abbot North:
"Postponing the democratic process should never be taken lightly, but given the situation COVID has presented, my feeling is that the local elections should have been postponed.
"Council staff are busy helping businesses and our residents recover from this crisis, and elections will divert attention from that task at this difficult time. It’s unclear whether government funding offered, will cover the full cost of extra resources required to run a COVID safe election.
"As Lib Dems we have traditionally been the party that engages most with our electorate, in particular, in the run up to an election, through personal door to door contact and leafletting carried out by volunteers. In similarity to much of this government’s guidance during the COVID crisis , their guidance on campaigning is muddled.
"How can it be justified to ban volunteers from delivering leaflets, but allow individuals that are being paid to deliver door to door? There is no scientific health evidence to support that decision, and it clearly favours the Conservatives, with their big corporate funders. The election cannot be fair if candidates are not equally able to present their case to the electorate."
Cllr John Clatworthy, Conservative councillor for Dawlish:
"I am not seeking re-election having been first elected in 1999, but having said that I would have thought it would have been best if they were postponed until the Autumn. They delayed an election some time ago when there was Foot and Mouth so it would create a precedent."
Cllr John Berry, Conservative councillor for Cullompton and Bradninch:
"At the moment it is not possible to be sure where we will be in May. We hope that things will be much better and that it would be safe to hold elections in May. However, as we have already seen things can change very quickly.
"COVID-19 has the ability to mutate quickly and frequently as do many viral infections and much will depend on how well we can control the South African, Brazilian and any other as yet unidentified variant can be controlled by individual compliance with the rules, testing, tracing and vaccination.
"Whilst individuals can elect to have a postal vote, if they don’t wish to vote in person, I do have concerns for the staff who have to administer the election, and count the votes and question the logistics of social distancing. Therefore it might be wiser to postpone the election until later in the summer when things should have improved, in order to protect Council staff.
"As for canvassing, we have to work within the COVID safety guidelines, and if door to door canvassing is not deemed safe, or not welcomed, we will find other ways to communicate with people. Though I prefer to speak to people directly, social media, press and postal communication are all options which have proved useful in the past."
The view from Devon County Council:
A spokesman for Devon County Council said: "We have been preparing to hold the elections in May for some time with extra safety measures in place at polling stations and at the vote counts. However there are alternatives in place for those who do not want to cast their vote in person, for example postal votes."
Phil Norrey, the council’s chief executive, had previously added: "No doubt that holding elections in May will be a huge challenge and we will be doing our best to support that if we have to do it. It might be safer to have a delay and there was a concern about how feasible it is."