As part of your annual planning process, you will need to consider what budget you require in order to carry out your statutory functions. The budget for registration should be settled between you and the local authority which appointed you, and that should be sufficient to allow you to fulfil your duty to maintain the register.
This should include all activity involved in conducting the annual canvass. For further details on the necessary activities see our guidance on delivering the annual canvass.
You also need sufficient resources to maintain the register throughout the year to ensure that it remains complete and accurate. For further details see our guidance on planning for registration throughout the year.
If you are acting on behalf of more than one local authority, each local authority should contribute to the registration budget.
You should properly account for the expenses of registration you incur and liaise with the authority to agree a suitable accounting process and budget.
While we recognise the increasing budget pressures facing local authorities which force difficult choices between competing statutory services, a lack of resources does not exempt you from complying with the law.