Postal Voting 2

COUNCIL CLAIMS "COCK UP NOT CONSPIRACY" OVER POSTAL VOTE LEAK

18-04-2008

Birmingham MP John Hemming has called for an enquiry after details of postal voting applications made by party colleague Ayoub Khan were leaked to the Labour party.  The City Council insists it's a cock up not a conspiracy.

The Stirrer revealed yesterday that Ayoub Khan - the Cabinet Member for Local Services and Community Safety - had delivered 200 applications alobg with 150 voter registration forms to the Election Office just over an hour before the deadline for this year's local elections (see link here).
 
Labour leader Sir Albert Bore called for an immediate police investigation, given the history of voting irregularities in Khan's Aston ward.
 
MP Hemming - who is standing down as a councillor at this year's poll - is attempting to turn the tables by writing to Birmingham's Chief Executive Stephen Hughes, alleging that there's a pro-Labour mole leaking information from the city's Elections Office.
 
He says:  " I think it is important in the light of what happened that we have a proper inquiry into staff in the elections office campaigning for the Labour Party.

"Ayoub Khan entirely in accordance with the law and the current code of conduct as published by the elections office devliered some postal vote applications to the elections office.  Someone in the elections office then told the Labour Party. It is unacceptable that information is passed only to one party. Had they told all the city agents then that would have been acceptable."

Hemming's letter repeats allegations that he's previously made about what he describes as the "criminal" involvement of election officials with Labour members at last year's elections.

And he concludes:  "It is unacceptable to have election officials working for any one party. This bias needs to be rooted out of the elections office by an investigation"

Birmingham City Council rejects the claims of favouritism, and blames the leak on human error, for which a staff member has been reprimanded.

A spokesman said:  "The deadline for receipt of new postal vote and electoral roll registration forms closed at 5pm yesterday [Wednesday].  All forms submitted before this deadline are being checked and processed in the normal fashion, including those delivered before the deadline by Cllr Khan.

"Upon receipt of such a large volume of forms so late in the day, the elections office felt it necessary to contact the Liberal Democrat agent to express concern at the work pressures this placed staff under.

"Unfortunately due to a communication error the wrong political group office was contacted. The member of staff responsible will be reprimanded for this unnecessary mistake."

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