General Election costs in Dorset could top £1million
That's a similar costs to the local council elections that were held in May
With a month to the General Election, it has been revealed that election costs in Dorset could top £1million.
The May local council elections, where around two-thirds of the electorate did not vote, is thought to have cost a similar amount, just four weeks ago.
The July 4 election will provide a temporary, but short lived, boost to earnings mainly for council staff, who will pick up payments for working at polling stations and at election counts.
In the May 2nd Dorset parish, town and unitary elections more than 2,065 posts were created for the event – although there were fewer staff because many worked at polling stations during the day and then went on to also work at the Weymouth Redlands community hub counts for both the unitary council and town and parish councils.
Extra staff are expected to be recruited to deal with the General Election although, at this stage, Dorset Council is unable to say how many might be needed in addition to a core staff and part-time workers already in place.
The authority has also been unable to say how much the May election cost in total, the final figures having not yet been fully collated, although the figure is thought to also be similar to the expected maximum costs of the General Election in the county.
A council spokesman said that although the £1million-plus General Election may be reached the authority and previous Dorset Council, under Chief Returning Officer, Matt Prosser, managed to achieve the voting and counts at less than the maximum amount allowable.
What is known as The Maximum Recoverable Amount, to be paid by the Government, is as follows for each Dorset parliamentary seat – Mid Dorset and North Poole £232,636; North Dorset £253,815; South Dorset £250,063; West Dorset £283,880 – a total of £1,020,394.
Unlike the May local council elections where all the votes were counted in one place each of the four parliamentary constituencies will hold their own, separate, counts at two venues: Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency and the North Dorset constituency will be counted at Blandford Leisure Centre, Milldown Road while the South Dorset and the West Dorset constituencies will be counted at the Redlands Leisure and Community Park, Dorchester Road, Weymouth.
Dorset Council said it receives a percentage of the Maximum Recoverable Amount shortly after the election is called with the final costs recoverable from the Electoral Claims Unit (ECU) after the event, with accounts having to be submitted by the authority within six months.