Combined Authority and Combined County Authority Returning Officer guidance for Combined Authority Mayoral elections

We recognise the importance of local knowledge and experience and that there is no ‘one size fits all approach’ which can be applied to, or even within, each combined authority area. Every area has its own set of circumstances which will influence your decisions on how best to ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for those voting and standing for election across the combined authority area.

The combined authority mayoral election is one election delivered across a number of local authority areas. You should consider at an early stage how you will ensure that the election is administered to a consistent standard across the whole of the combined authority area, so that voters receive a consistently high quality of service regardless of where they live and that the election produces a result that is accepted. This should be reflected in the objectives and success measures set out in your project plan and should include whether you have issued (or intend to issue) guidance, and whether and how you have used (or intend to use) your power to give directions.

There will be aspects of the election process where you will particularly want to ensure that there is consistency, most notably in the areas that impact on the voters’ experience – for example, how LROs will meet their duty to ensure polling station voting is accessible to all voters, the issue of poll cards and postal votes, and the staffing of polling stations – as well as in respect of the verification and counting of votes. 

There are various tools available to you to ensure consistency. It is for you to decide, based on factors such as your knowledge, experience and relationships with the LROs in your area, and taking into consideration issues of scope and scale, how to best achieve the objectives set out in your election plan. Your power to give directions is one tool available for you to use, but whether to give directions, on what matters, and to whom is at your discretion.

Where the combined authority mayoral election is combined with the poll at another election you will not be able to use the power of direction for some aspects of the process depending on which RO is responsible for them in practice. Therefore other tools to ensure consistency – such as cooperation and consultation – will be crucial.

Your project plan should reflect how and when you will reach a decision on your approach to managing and co-ordinating the poll in your area and how you will implement this approach in practice. It should also include a communications strategy to support this work.

As a minimum, you should have in place processes for monitoring the delivery of the combined authority mayoral election across the whole of the combined authority area, including compliance with any directions and/or guidance you have given. You should think about how you will support other LROs and electoral administrators in the area in managing the polls and in dealing with any emerging issues.

The Commission’s teams across England will be available to support you throughout the election. Further detail on our plans for support at any scheduled elections will be included in future EA Bulletins.

You may choose to issue written guidance to local ROs on particular aspects of the election. In order to effectively manage the result collation process, you should put in place a protocol for the transmission and receipt of local verification and count totals.

You should also arrange training and/or briefing sessions for local ROs and their staff.