Supporting people with a learning disability on General Election 2015

The request was successful.

Dear Torridge District Council,

1. Ahead of the 2015 General Election, did the local authority give training to polling station staff around supporting people with a learning disability to vote?
2. Ahead of the 2015 General Election, a) was the local authority aware of Mencap's ‘Easy guides to voting and registering to vote’ (https://www.mencap.org.uk/sites/default/... and b) if so, did the local authority distribute this to relevant local organisations/groups/services?
3. How many voter registration events did the local authority attend/run for people with a learning disability ahead of a) the 2015 General Election and b) the 2010 General Election?
4. Ahead of the 2015 General Election, a) did the local authority receive a fact sheet from the Electoral Commission – produced jointly by the Electoral Commission and Mencap – entitled 'What you need to do if you want to vote on 7 May'; and b) if so, was this distributed to polling station staff?
5. Are all of the polling stations in the local authority area accessible for people using wheelchairs?
6. How many complaints have you received about the accessibility of your polling stations in the local authority area, following the 2015 General Election?
7. Was the local authority made aware of any problems with people with a learning disability voting on 7th May 2015? If so, a) how many people with a learning disability were affected, and b) how many people with a learning disability were stopped from voting?

Yours faithfully,

Vijay Patel

FOI, Torridge District Council

Dear Vijay

Thank you for your Freedom of Information Request received in this office on 3 August 2015.

Please see below the answers to your questions:

1. Part of the staff training given to all polling staff always includes ensuring that the voting process is assessable to all needs ensuring that staff know the different methods that can be used to assist voters, should they require assistance.

2(a) I can confirm that the Returning Officer was aware of the Mencap guides

2(b) These guides were not distributed by the Returning Officer

3. None due to lack of resources

4(a) Yes the Returning Officer did receive the fact sheet

4(b) This fact sheet was not distributed to polling staff however it was covered in the training event, as mentioned in 1 above

5. Not all stations are wheelchair accessible so alternatives arrangements are made for these small number of stations.

6. No complaints have been received regarding accessibility to any of our polling stations, in fact we have received letters of thanks from some electors praising the helpfulness of the polling staff from those stations that are a little tricky to access by wheelchair.

7(a) No problems were reported

7(b) None

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original request and should be addressed to: Freedom of Information Officer at Torridge District Council, Riverbank House, Bideford EX39 2QG

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Regards

Linda Patterson
Admin Assistant - Legal
Torridge District Council, Riverbank House, Bideford, Devon EX39 2QG
Direct Dial: 01237 428759
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