Delivering the annual canvass - England

Responses to Canvass Communication A (CCA)

While households are obliged by law to let you know if any of the information contained on the CCA is inaccurate or incomplete,1  there is no requirement for you to follow up non-responses to a CCA. You should, however, follow up on any CCAs that are returned by Royal Mail as undeliverable or return to sender.  

What response mechanisms are available for a CCA?

It is up to you to determine which response mechanisms you will make available for individuals to use where they need to notify you of changes in a property after receiving a CCA.

You must pre-print details of your chosen response mechanisms on the CCA.2  The types of response mechanisms you may wish to provide are:

• Telephone, either to a call centre or directly to your team
• Web
• Text
• Email
• In person
• Post (note - there is no legal requirement to include a pre-paid reply envelope with a CCA, reflecting that the form itself is not intended to be returned)

When making a decision as to what response mechanisms to offer you will need to consider:

• If a response is returned by post that indicates changes to a property, how will you ensure that you are satisfied that the information provided is accurate to enable you to process the changes?
• The demographics of your canvass area – for example if you know you have a high population of older people, areas with limited access to internet, or high levels of socio-economic deprivation, you will need to consider which response mechanisms would be most appropriate to meet the needs of your electors. 
• Whether the response mechanisms you offer ensure that there is an accessible way for individuals to provide details of any changes to you. 
• Whether the response mechanisms you offer will also signpost to potential new electors to register via the register to vote website 
• How you will manage the processing of responses through different channels – for example, if you are considering using a channel you have not used previously, you will need to ensure you have the right processes in place to manage responses through this channel, including considering how it will interact with your EMS system. You should also consider any additional resource implications from utilising different response mechanisms.  

How should I process a response to a CCA?

Where someone responds to a CCA, whether to correct inaccurate information or to add missing information, you will need to check that their response includes all the information you require to fully process the response. For example, has the response provided enough information to start the ITR or review process? You can make additional enquiries if the response does not include enough information to close Route 1.

If as a result of making additional enquiries you are able to get the information needed to provide a successful response, you can close Route 1 and continue with the ITR or review process as appropriate for the property. 

If you are unable to obtain the information that is needed to provide a successful response, you must transfer the property to Route 2 – the unmatched property route, as you can no longer be satisfied that there are no changes to the property. For example, a response may suggest that there are potential new electors at the property but may not give their names. If you are unable to obtain the names of the potential new electors having made additional enquiries, this would require you to move the property to Route 2.

Further information about Route 2 can be found in our guidance for Route 2 - the unmatched property route.