On 15 Jan 2009 at 5:54pm AlloAllo! wrote:
If you are a European citizen living in the UK you will most likely receive a notice for entry on the Register of Electors form around these days. Now the issue is that Lewes District Council does not include return envelopes and expects the voter to fund the stationary and postage. Whilst I did a quick check with Brighton & Hove City Council (which is like day compared to LDC) Electoral Services brought to light that Brighton & Hove City Council does include freepost return envelopes to encourage voting. As the Council receives money from the Government to fund the distribution of said notices and manning polling stations there is no reason and excuse not to enclose a return envelope especially as Lewes District Council covers mostly rural area and many do not have the privilege to live nearby a LDC council office to drop of their form. Now, I have to say that I have spoken to LDC Electoral Services and they did not have an explanation or great interest in the matter. Im awaiting my local councillor to come back to me with figures concerning money received and actual council expenditure as well as await the outcome of a complaint logged with Electoral Services as of why oh why they do provide a freepost return service with regular voter registration forms but not this one. Their argument is that latter is a volume of 65.000 forms however it doesnt stick with me. Surely they can do the same for a lesser number? Or would this make them spin too fast in their swivel chairs and the spin speed would breach health and safety regulations? When I visited them in their office, I saw two of them not doing a lot. Not even swivel. In the meanwhile and intended point of this post: If you get one of the forms call Electoral Services and complain. Just for the sake of fun and principle!
On 15 Jan 2009 at 6:12pm Duke of Sark wrote:
I'd contact the BBC - this is breaking news; bigger than Gaza. You're absolutely right to be so passionate about this issue.
On 15 Jan 2009 at 7:43pm Lewes Laugher wrote:
You can do it on the internet. It doesn't cost anything.
On 15 Jan 2009 at 11:23pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Is your internet access free, then? And what about all the people that don't have it?
Imo, LDC don't give a flying fig about making their services accessible. They shut at 4.45 pm (Brighton have staff fielding phone calls until quite late in the evening, I believe), they don't ever seem to have anyone available who can help if you call at the offices in person, 80% of my calls seem to go to voicemail, you can only speak to an environmental health officer between 9 & 10 am, and a lot of their standard letters and forms are downright bloody confusing. Someone I know had a letter re their council tax and housing benefits the other day, it ran to more than 12 sides of text, was really hard to make sense of, and turned out to be wrong anyway!
They are the worst council whose area I've ever lived in, and that includes loony, lefty, Lambeth.
On 16 Jan 2009 at 4:04am AlloAllo! wrote:
Thank you LL for the tip of online submission. I wonder what the link is as LDC Electoral Services did not bother to include this in their cover letter that came with the form. Another sign of incompetence if this is true. I would be grateful if you let us know if it's not too much hassle. ACT got a point and is spot on. It's surprising that 8 miles make a difference between living in a courteous world the dark ages. I only can agree not just from this experience. LDC service is very lethargic and I rather watch a turtle grow. DOS is incorrect. Obviously, whatever is happening in Gaza is a war crime committed by Israel. My rant is insignificant and does not warrant BBC coverage. But it's nice and strangely satisfying to kick LDC a***.
On 16 Jan 2009 at 9:01am sashimi wrote:
I thought that living in a time warp was what Lewes was all about.
On 16 Jan 2009 at 12:37pm Cliffebimbo wrote:
I work for LDC and very PROUD I am too! As far as I am aware most of us work hard (including electoral services). If you bothered to visit them in the summer and before and after any election, you would appreciate how hard they work. Annette Curtin-Twitcher, didn't/don't you work for ESCC? Pot, kettle, black in my opinion. 'Allo'Allo, have a look on the Lewes.gov.uk website, it will provide a link for you.
On 16 Jan 2009 at 1:35pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
I DID work for ESCC. You know how many people work in County Hall? About half of them.
On 16 Jan 2009 at 2:21pm Geoff wrote:
I am sure CliffeBimbo, that many people at LDC work really hard, and perhaps even effectively. (though I hope you are not in the 'stamp out un-PC expressions department') Sadly your fine efforts are being wasted by your colleagues, especially the incompetent management levels. When the TV covered the Lewes Arms debacle. A simple example of the lack of professionalism, is that I happened to notice when the Lews Arms strike was covered by TV, that the interviewee, sipping on a lunchtime pint is/was employed by the planning office. No wonder that so many applications have innaccurate drawings that no-one in the office notices after lunch. Perhaps they encourage wobbly lines, along with their wobbly legal understanding.
Anyway, my point is that if the Lib Dems who control our rubbish Council spent less time worrying about Government advice about rude road names (that affect no one) and prioritised other government advice about encouraging voters (which would democratically benefit and affect everyone) we might be a little more impressed. Of course maybe the Lib Dems don't want to encourage such people to register, as they are worried about and/or wish to manipulate the voting turn out.
On 19 Jan 2009 at 2:08pm Pietro Ghezzi wrote:
Sorry to bother but posting here has been helpful to me on other issues. I am an Italian citizen moved to Lewes in September. I got a letter about registering for elections. I threw it away thinking that it was sent to all resudent but was only for UK citizens.
You mean we EU resident in Lewes have voting rights for something? If so I'll go to the council and get a form...and wouldn't mind buying a stamp.
Anybody knows?
On 19 Jan 2009 at 2:16pm Outsider wrote:
Yes, you can vote in some election so do contact the district council. You can't vote twice for the same elected body ie in the European elections you could qualify to vote both here and in Italy, but should only vote in one place.People with double citizenship and/or residence can vote in both countries general elections etc.
On 23 Feb 2009 at 9:17pm demon2 wrote:
L.D.C. ARE NO GOOD WE SHOULD VOTE THEM OUT