Election papers delayed

Thursday 26th April 2007, 10:22AM BST.

Postal ballot papers for next week’s local elections have only been sent out to voters in south Shropshire today – after the printers ran out of paper.

It comes a day after the council revealed that the wrong polling cards had been sent out to scores of residents in the district.

Today South Shropshire District Council chief executive apologised for the problems but said it had been beyond their control.

Graham Biggs, who is also the Returning Officer, said: “I can only apologise for the serious errors that have occurred especially to those postal voters who had expected their ballot papers to arrive with them before they went on holiday and did not have the time to arrange for a proxy.

“These matters have been completely outside of our direct control and, in the main, have occurred due to very late changes in the law.”

The ballot papers were being printed by the same company that was printing the polling cards. The company has apologised to the council.

Veronica Calderbank, the council’s deputy returning officer, said: “They apparently ran out of paper and this, together with trying to put right the Poll Card errors, has resulted in further delay.

“The paper to be used for ballot papers now has to include a new anti-fraud measure watermark.

“The postal ballot papers have all been dispatched today.”

View more: South Shropshire news.