Title

ELECTIONS

EU citizens 'denied' vote in European elections

EU citizens living in the UK complained of having their right to vote for an MEP ‘denied’.

EU citizens living in the UK complained of having their right to vote for an MEP ‘denied'.

In previous years, UC1 forms -  a declaration that an EU citizen wants to cast their ballot in the UK - would have been sent out by councils from January.

However, the Government only confirmed that EU elections would go ahead on April 5 - just over a month before forms had to be returned.

Yesterday there were anecdotal reports of some EU citizens being turned away at polling stations but the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has so far been unable to gauge numbers, causes or spread.

AEA chief executive, Peter Stanyon, said: ‘Electoral administrators and councils have been working flat out over the last two months to make sure that everyone who is eligible to can vote in an election that they had been advised would not be taking place.'

A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said it understood the ‘frustration' of citizens of EU member states who were unable to vote in the UK.

He said: ‘The very short notice from the Government of the UK's participation in these elections impacted on the time available for awareness of this process among citizens and for citizens to complete the process.'

ELECTIONS

Working together in Wales

By Dan Peters | 21 September 2026

As shellshocked English council leaders bemoan the loss of trust in government over the delay to reorganisation, the picture in Wales couldn’t be more differ...

ELECTIONS

Local government reorganisation is a crisis of trust

By Cllr Kevin Bentley | 10 September 2026

Cllr Kevin Bentley says the Government’s approach to reorganisation has damaged finances, trust and confidence within councils.

ELECTIONS

If Whitehall trusts councils, who do councils trust?

By Manjeet Gill | 09 September 2026

New York’s city government has more power than any English mayor. But its real advantage may be how it’s directly putting citizens to work shaping their own ...

ELECTIONS

Oldham chief remains in charge as council remains leaderless

By William Eichler | 21 August 2026

Oldham Council is to write to the secretary of state Angela Rayner after councillors again failed to elect a leader, leaving chief executive Shelley Kipling ...

Popular articles by William Eichler

-->