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Constituency Returning Officer - skills and knowledge

You should have a working knowledge of the legislation governing the conduct of the election. This means that, in addition to having a clear understanding of your particular statutory functions, you should have an overview of what the legislation contains and an understanding of how it affects the administration of the election, so that you can review, question where necessary, and quality-assure the whole process in your constituency.

There are management responsibilities attached to your role. For example:

  • obtain the staff and resources necessary to deliver a well-run election
  • draw the necessary support, skills and expertise from across your own local authority
  • overseeing the planning, project management and risk management of the election
  • incorporate any lessons learnt from previous polls, identifying and overseeing any actions necessary to mitigate any issues arising
  • ensuring that staff are appropriately trained to deliver the roles required of them
  • supporting the staff administering the election and provide appropriate oversight of their work
  • providing direction to staff, monitoring progress and receiving regular feedback on activities
  • maintain an effective working relationship with the GLRO and staff at London Elects
  • if you are not also the ERO, maintain an effective working relationship with the ERO in your borough
  • maintain an effective working relationship with the EROs in the other borough(s) in your constituency
  • seek advice and assistance from the BRO and staff at the other borough(s) in your constituency 
  • maintaining an effective working relationship with your police Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
  • ensuring that the election accounts are completed in a timely manner
     
Last updated: 10 November 2023