Councils' online election performance lambasted
Kable
Published: 05 May 2005 15:20 BST
Most of the 34 councils holding a local election on 5 May, 2005 have provided minimal online information about their polls, finds a survey issued by Socitm.
Socitm reviewed all the county council Web sites at the end of April by asking 10 questions which included: "Does the election figure prominently on the home page?"; "Is it possible to find a list of councillors by ward?"; "Are procedures for postal voting clearly described?"; and "How will the results be published?".
Only four councils are rated as "very good" by Socitm: Cumbria, Wiltshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. The majority (20 councils) are classed as "poor", while five are "satisfactory". Five provided no information.
Other findings are that:
- 26 councils featured the election prominently on their home page, while eight did not.
- 13 provided search facilities for a specific ward by name, map or postcode.
- 13 mentioned how the results will be reported on the Web site.
- Seven claimed to publish the results in real time.
- None had any plans for Webcam transmissions as the results came in.
- Two councils offered a list of polling stations.
- 15 councils clearly described the procedures for postal voting.
Martin Greenwood, programme manager for Socitm Insight, said the findings are disappointing.
"By any measure county councils are an important part of the democratic framework and process in England, responsible as they are for major public services such as education and social care," he said. "Generally, politicians and public policy makers are concerned about the lack of engagement in local government, and yet even given the restrictions of election time 'purdah', our survey shows that in many parts of the country a major opportunity for democratic engagement is being missed."
Elections are being held in all of England's counties. Three unitary authorities — Bristol, Isle of Wight and Stockton-on-Tees — are also holding polls. Also, four directly elected mayoral contests are also taking place in Doncaster, North Tyneside, Stoke-on-Trent and Hartlepool.
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