Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

This session scrutinised the 2026-27 main estimates for the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) and the Electoral Commission (EC). The LGBCE emphasised independence, a forward-looking plan focused on digital infrastructure, improved communications, public engagement, and efficiency gains, with a belief they can deliver the year’s budget and adapt to local government reorganisation. They highlighted a lack of a statutory role during interim electoral arrangements and described their planned website revamp, cyber-security upgrades, and a new digital oversight framework. The EC stressed value-for-money across a five-year corporate plan, detailing cost-control measures (returning unspent money, consolidating IT contracts, internal systems), and progress on major projects (Political Finance Online, voter education, voter information, updated guidance, and a public-facing website). They confirmed funds already allocated for reinstated May 2026 local elections within the current budget, outlined campaigns (registration, voter ID in England, security), and discussed the potential cost implications of the Representation of the People Bill and the Rycroft review. The witnesses also discussed AI-related activity, deepfake detection, cross-UK collaboration, and implementation milestones (PFO go-live by summer 2027; contingency planning for brakes on the timetable). A key tension emerged around communications strategies for reinstated elections, with calls for direct mail to voters versus broader advertising channels, and a debate about who should bear the cost (government vs. Commission).

The session scrutinised the Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s (LGBCE) five-year corporate plan and the Electoral Commission’s (EC) five-year plan and main estimates for 2025-26. Key scrutiny points included how the White Paper on English Devolution could shape workload and funding, the need to pause or re-prioritise reviews, and how the commissions plan to expand capacity (including interim arrangements and potential section 4 work). Witnesses outlined budgeting choices (notably a 5% pay-reserve provision), proposed IT and cyber-security investments, and a focus on public engagement, improved customer satisfaction, and trust in political finance. The EC highlighted five investment areas to modernise elections (voter support, cyber-security, IT, procurement, project management) and emphasised data-sharing with government departments to reduce costs. Overall, the committees signalled appetite for evidence-based performance metrics, annual progress milestones, and system indicators (e.g., youth registration and public confidence in political finance).