York: Stuart Carroll misses out on vote as postal vote doesn’t arrive

Stuart Carroll will not be able to strike a ballot paper this week as his postal voting pack failed to arrive before he went on holiday abroad on Tuesday (July 2).

The University of York professor said he applied to vote by post on Thursday, June 13, and received confirmation of this from City of York Council.

Prof Carroll explained that his holiday to Greece had been booked far in advance so he knew to apply for a postal vote to avoid missing out.

But two and a half weeks on he told The Press that his ballot paper failed to arrive.

“I’m not able to vote,” The 59-year-old, who lives in Kilburn Road, said. “I thought that would be enough time.”

Stuart Carroll (Image: Supplied)

As The Press reported, City of York Council said on Sunday (June 30) that country-wide delivery issues meant that some postal voting packs had not arrived.

“We have contacted Royal Mail who have advised that all remaining packs should arrive on doorsteps by Monday [July 1],” a council spokesperson wrote on X.

Prof Carroll described the scenario has an example of “broken Britain”.

“Nothing works,” he said. “It’s not very good.

“I’m sure the council has been hollowed out and it’s a wider problem that doesn’t work. “[Receiving postal voting applications] should be a priority.”

Those who haven't received postal vote urged to contact council

Ian Floyd, City of York Council's acting returning officer, urged those who have not received postal voting packs to contact the council.

“We are aware that some postal votes hadn’t arrived over the weekend, due to delays with delivery that are being seen across the country," he said. "Whilst we don’t have exact figures on how many people have potentially been affected by these delays, we believe this number to be relatively low and to date we have received around 70 per cent of all postal votes, which is on track with what we would normally expect.

“We want to reassure residents that we are doing everything we can to make sure as many people as possible can cast their vote, and our teams are continuing to work hard to support those that are getting in touch. We were in contact with Royal Mail on Saturday, and they advised that all remaining packs should arrive on doorsteps by Monday 1 July. We understand from electors that this delivery has happened.

“Our message to people waiting for postal votes if that if you haven’t had your postal vote by [Tuesday, July 2] please contact us by calling 01904 551007 or emailing electoral.services@york.gov.uk. We are still able to reissue postal votes to voters at West Offices, and can do so up until 5pm on July 4. We also have facilities in place to allow people to complete their votes and hand them back in directly.

“For those who've already received your postal vote, please continue with the normal process for returning your vote. Royal Mail are prioritising returning postal votes and will be conducting a ‘sweep’ of post boxes across the city on Thursday to ensure none are missed, but the sooner you can return them the better.”

Electoral Commission to probe postal voting after election

No 10 said the government is aware of some issues around the printing and delivery of postal ballot packs in some local areas and is working to help resolve them.

The Electoral Commission said it will look into the administration of postal voting after this election, while the Local Government Association called for a review of the already “overburdened” system put under extra pressure by an “unprecedented increase” in people voting by post.

They added that those yet to receive a postal ballot pack should request a replacement from their local authority.

On Sunday City of York Council said country-wide delivery issues meant that some postal voting packs had not arrived (Image: PA)

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: “As is the case at all elections, given the electoral timetable, there is a short window of time for administrators to prepare and dispatch postal votes.

“Following the election, we will undertake research with voters and electoral administrators to understand their experiences at this poll,” they said. “The administration of postal voting is one of the areas we will look at.”

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According to the regulator, a voter can only apply for an emergency proxy if something unexpected prevents them from voting, such as a medical emergency, being away for work, and a lost or stolen voter ID.

Local councils are responsible for sending postal ballot forms to voters.

Completed postal votes must have reached councils by 10pm on polling day.