We follow a scale of fees set annually by London Councils. This is for:
- Returning Officers
- Polling stations
- Count staff.
The cost of a local election must come out of our budget. This is under the Representation of the People’s Act 1983.
We are required to appoint a Returning Officer. The Returning Officer conducts the elections. They are responsible for managing the elections. Their responsibilities are personal, not corporate. We place our staff at the Returning Officer's disposal to help run the election.
The Returning Officer will be a council employee. At election time, their responsibility is separate. The Electoral Commission knows this is hard to do, as many duties are linked.
He or she may, in writing, appoint one or more Deputy Returning Officers (DRO). The appointed DRO is paid 50% of the Returning Officer's fee. They can be tasked to discharge any or all his or her functions. During elections, there are a lot of clerical tasks to complete. We pay an hourly rate for this work, based on the Harrow equivalent figure.
A flat fee is paid to all core staff. It is based on the expected out-of-office hours they will work during the elections. The fee is based on the rate of evening, weekend, and bank holiday pay. It covers the various jobs undertaken. These include postal voting, poll cards, ballot boxes or the count.
The Returning Officers in Harrow agree a fee schedule. They agree to these fees to ensure a consistent approach for all.