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With the forthcoming general election, there has been much speculation in Chorley about when this will take place – and even more importantly, when we will do the count. I am of the view that if the election is a combined election, both parliamentary and local on the same date, whether it's 6 May or any other date, we will hold the election count on the Friday morning. If it's a parliamentary election on its own, we will do it on the Thursday night. "Everyone loves a count on the same night as the election. It really gets the old adrenaline rushing through the veins. What candidates forget, however, is the difficulties this can cause from a logistical point of view." The role of returning officer provides a rare opportunity to tell elected members how things should happen, based entirely on his or her own judgment. My decision to hold the count the day after the election has caused much consternation in Parliament, with my local MP criticising the move, and the fact that I did not involve him. Everyone loves a count on the same night as the election. It really gets the old adrenaline rushing through the veins. What candidates forget, however, is the difficulties this can cause from a logistical point of view. In Chorley, we have local elections every year, and in a combined parliamentary and local election there are 105,000 voters. Last year, at the European and county council election, staff were verifying postal votes which had been handed in to polling stations that evening until 1.30am. Given that there will be a much larger turn-out for a parliamentary election, we conducted a time line, and predict that we will only begin the count at around 3 or 4am, after we have undertaken a sweep of sorting offices in the borough. We all know that the human brain is at its lowest ebb between 3 and 4am. Counting at an election can be a mundane administrative task, and when there are anxious candidates peering over one's shoulder and one has been awake since 6am, the brain turns to mush. I have tried to stress to candidates that this is a five-year parliamentary turn, and what difference will a few hours make in the interest of accuracy. My advice to returning officers is, be strong, be clear and think about the possibility of an election petition if it all goes wrong. Donna Hall is chief executive of Chorley BC

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WHITEHALL

District View

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