Delivering the annual canvass - England

Project plans and risk registers are vital in helping to support the effective delivery of the annual canvass. 

We have developed a template registration plan that you might find helpful.

To inform these, you will need to make some key decisions which will help you map out how you will deliver the whole canvass process. These should include:

• when your canvass will begin
• when and how you will identify any properties you want to canvass via Route 3 – the defined property route, including how you will identify the responsible person for those properties and when you will contact them
• when you plan to undertake the national data match step
• whether to carry out local data matching and, if so, when you will do so
• a review of the size of your canvass areas to ensure they are suitable to support your plan for canvass delivery and follow up  
• how and when you will allocate properties to canvass routes
• what type of communication methods you will use for each route 
• what response mechanisms you will make available for the canvass and how you will ensure they are set-up in advance
• the timescales for sending your canvass communications for all routes
• how you will follow up with any non-responders (where required)
• when, and on what basis, canvassers will be recruited and paid 
• what contingency arrangements you will need should an election take place during your canvass, including how you will redeploy resources to target registration in those areas where the election is taking place
• when and how you will publish your revised register

Once you have established your high level plan you can start to plan the specific detail of the canvass process. 

You will need to identify the activities you need to carry out to deliver your high level plan, and capture these and the timescales for their delivery. Some of the key activities you will need to ensure are covered in your plan are outlined on the following pages.