Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20

Overview
This section provides an overview of the Electoral Commission, our purpose, our performance during the last year and the key risks to achieving our goals.
We have included summary financial information within the performance report. This is consistent with the financial statements, where more detail is available.
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) established the Electoral Commission. We are independent of government and political parties and directly accountable to the UK Parliament through a committee chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons. We also report to the Scottish Parliament for functions related to its parliamentary and local government elections. Once the commencement provisions are enacted, we will also report to the Senedd for its parliamentary and local government elections.
We have prepared our 2019-20 Annual Report and Accounts in accordance with an accounts direction, set out on page 108 issued by HM Treasury under paragraph 17(2) of Schedule 1 PPERA.
We have prepared the powers and sanctions report on page 38 in accordance with paragraph 15 Schedule 19(b) and paragraph 27 Schedule 19(c) PPERA.
Foreword
About us
Our role
The Electoral Commission is the independent body which overseas election and regulates political finance in the United Kingdom. We work to promote public confidence in the democratic process and ensure its integrity
Our vision and goals
Our vision is to be a world-class public sector organisation - innovative, delivering great value and getting right what matters most to voters and legislators.
In 2019/20 we worked towards achieving four goals:
- To enable the continued delivery of free and fair elections and referendums, focusing n the need of electors and addressing the changing environment to ensure every vote remains secure and accessible.
- To ensure increasingly trusted and transparent systems of regulation in political finance, overseeing compliance, promoting understanding amongst those regulated and proactively pursuing breaches.
- To be an independent and respected centre of expertise, using knowledge and insight to further the transparency, fairness and efficiency of our democratic system, and help adapt it to the modern, digital age.
- To provide value for money, making best use of our resources and expertise to deliver services that are attuned to what matters most to voters. This goal underpins and supports all of our work.
Our 2019-20 year at a glance
April 2019
- Appointed a new Chief Executive
- Completed a campaign encouraging people to register to vote ahead of local elections in England and Northern Ireland
May
- Supported the delivery of local elections in England and Northern Ireland
- Ran a campaign encouraging people to register to vote before the European Parliamentary elections, and supported the delivery of the polls
- Provided written and oral evidence to the National Assembly for Wales on the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Bill; and gave oral evidence to the London Assembly on the Metropolitan Police’s investigation into Vote Leave
- Supported the delivery of the recall petition in Brecon and Radnorshire
June
- Published a report on the UK Government’s proposals to amend the annual canvass
- Provided oral evidence to the UK Parliament on disinformation
July
- Published our evaluation of the UK Government’s 2019 voter ID pilots
- Launched our new website at electoralcommission.org.uk
- Published feasibility studies on modernising electoral registration
- Provided oral evidence to the UK Parliament on electoral law and on the rules for any future citizens’ assembly or referendum
August
- Provided written evidence to the Scottish Parliament on its Referendums Bill
September
- Published new guidance for non-party campaigners
- Published findings from our research into the accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Provided written evidence to the Scottish Parliament on the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill, and on its Referendums Bill
- Published a report on the ordering of candidates on ballot papers at Scottish council elections
October
- Published reports on the May 2019 elections and on the recall petitions from Peterborough, and Brecon and Radnorshire constituencies
- Provided oral evidence to the Scottish Parliament on the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill
- Consulted on codes of practice on spending by candidates and political parties at Senedd elections
November
- Provided written and oral evidence to the Scottish Parliament on the Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill
- Ran a voter registration campaign before the UK Parliamentary general election
December
- Supported the delivery of the UK Parliamentary general election
January 2020
- Provided written and oral evidence to the National Assembly for Wales on the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Bill
- Launched a consultation on Electoral Registration Officer performance standards
February
- Provided written evidence to the National Assembly for Wales on electoral systems and boundaries
- Provided written evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013
March
- Provided written evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Democracy and Digital Technologies
- Published electoral fraud data from 2019
Our year in numbers
- Used £20.2m of resources, including £879k capital spend
- Invested 47%of our expenditure on staff costs (£9.4m)
- Achieved 72%employee engagement score (65% in 2018)
- Answered 25,402 public enquiries – a 408% increase on last year
- Contributed to more than 1.9m additions to the electoral register following three campaigns
- Responded to 287 Freedom of Information requests
- Published1,743 routine financial returns from parties and campaigners
- Notified 86% of the 159 party registration applications of their outcome within 30 days
- Published 769 annual statement of accounts for political parties and accounting units
- Registered 36 non-party campaigners in the month before the UK
- Completed 83 investigations, 84% of them within 180 days
- Imposed £90,580 of civil sanctions in our role as a regulator
- Published 100% of our guidance products on time
- Responded to 5,548 requests for advice from local authorities – 99.7% within 3 days
- Accredited 1,167 electoral observers – the highest number since we started the scheme in 2007
Performance analysis
We measure our performance against the goals set out in our 2019-20 Business Plan. We have identified activities and corresponding performance measures that contribute towards delivering each goal.
The Commission Board agrees our performance measures each year and receives a progress update every quarter.
Jump to: |
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Goal one |
Goal two |
Goal three |
Goal four |
Looking ahead to 2020/21 and using our resources to support the delivery of our goals |