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Electoral Administration Bill

I support the amendments—particularly Amendments Nos. 38 and 39. It is curious that the electoral registration officer has now become the mouthpiece for the people who employ him or her. The electoral registration officer is of course a major focus of elections within local authorities, but I accept that local authorities run and manage all elections and it would therefore be appropriate for them to be consulted. In addition, I keep coming back to the fact that electoral registration officers are on their own, as I understand it. They bear their own responsibilities. They cannot be shoved around by the local authority; they can act as they believe and see fit. Therefore, it would be much more appropriate if their employers or the people who have control over what they do were the ones to respond. I am sure that the amendment is correct and I am surprised that local authorities were not included in this group. I am also concerned that we keep talking about areas. Areas are now regions. Regions include counties and districts, and so, although the noble Lord’s amendment refers to ““principal local authorities””, I would consult all local authorities within whatever area the Secretary of State was trammelling to try to produce a CORE scheme.