Electoral services staff are under increasing pressure, facing a combination of insufficient resources, complex legislation, and unrealistic timetables that jeopardise the effectiveness and sustainability of future elections, says new LGIU research.
The survey of all electoral administrators in England, Scotland and Wales reveals persistent, systemic problems are becoming harder to ignore, in spite of the 2024 General Election running largely free from widespread issues.
Administrative staff report experiencing intolerable stress due to tight deadlines, unclear or convoluted laws, and a lack of adequate funding for local electoral services.
94% of electoral administrators cited the challenge of organising snap elections as a major issue. A similar 86% identified the statutory timetable as a significant challenge, while 80% pointed to the complexity of electoral law. 73% of respondents stated that electoral services departments were underfunded, and 72% reported difficulties recruiting polling station staff.
While the survey showed that election security was not considered a major concern, 60% of electoral administrators experienced abuse or harassment during the election, and 30% reported disturbances at polling stations.
The report gives several recommendations for improvement, to ensure that elections can continue to run smoothly and equitably for years to come, including: improving the postal votes system (in particular for overseas electors); extending and standardising the election timetable across elections (in consultation with election administrators) to ensure that there is enough time to deliver elections at an acceptable standard while reducing the personal burdens on staff and consolidating existing legislation in development with Scottish and Welsh legislatures to harmonise electoral law in policy areas where confusion is common.
Ones to Watch: your guide to the 2025 local elections, which is now available here.
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) said, “With one month to go until the 1 May local elections, we should be thankful to all our administrators who go above and beyond to deliver elections.
Our research found that electoral staff are working extraordinary hours under difficult circumstances, wrestling with complex legislation and ever-shifting requirements, and contending with abuse and harassment.
Elections are the foundation of UK democracy, and they should not depend on the goodwill of overworked and undersupported staff. It is, therefore, imperative that we ensure that this essential service – provided by local government – is adequately resourced and that those who deliver it are properly consulted.
2025 already feels like one of the most consequential years in living memory for English local government. Facing the twin institutional changes of reorganisation and devolution, against a backdrop of remarkable political upheaval at home and abroad, and never without the acute financial pressures that have come to define the last 15 years for the sector, these elections – limited though they are in number – are set to be both crucial and fascinating.
But the big picture is only one part of the story and, in significant ways, the least important part. Local elections are local decisions. Local people choose the councillors who ultimately make many of the most consequential decisions for their areas: planning, transport, adult and children’s social care, parks, arts, and leisure. These decisions are not trivial or unimportant; they are what make a place worth living in.
Luckily, local electorates are much more likely to remember this than the national fixation on the overall fortunes of the main parties might suggest. The remarkable rise of independent candidates, local associations, and the unusual party dynamics that make local elections so interesting are all evidence of how local people don’t always follow national trends.
The councillors and mayors chosen by residents on 1 May will play a vital role in the wellbeing of local places, communities and residents. But let’s also not forget the hugely important role local government plays in the wellbeing of our democracy. And we need to be looking after democracy now more than ever.”
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