20.12.12
AV referendum cost £75m – Electoral Commission
The full costs of the May 2011 voting system referendum have been published today – the first time the costs of a national poll have been made public.
The Electoral Commission found the costs of the referendum on the UK Parliamentary voting system were £75m. The total amount claimed by counting officers was around £58m, much lower than the original Government estimate of £80m.
The Government should publish full details of the costs of recent elections and commit to doing the same for all future polls, the Electoral Commission recommends. Counting officers should also decide on an appropriate and cost-effective process for obtaining assurance that costs reimbursed have been properly incurred and the Government should develop better estimates of the cost.
Jenny Watson, chair of the Electoral Commission and chief counting officer for the referendum, said: “The public have a right to know how their money is spent at major polls, and we've been able to set this out for the first time today. These figures show the Government's original estimates of the cost of the 2011 referendum were too high – by more than £20m – so it's important that lessons are learnt.
“The Government should publish full details of the costs of recent and future polls as we have done for the May 2011 referendum. This will enable the people running the polls – Returning and Counting Officers – to use the information to ensure they are delivering best value for voters.
“The Government should also accept and implement the principle of agreeing funding legislation for polls by six months before polling day – rather than just four-and-a-half weeks in this case – to allow for proper planning.”
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