Early hubs used by 5% of city voters

A city council that took part in an early voting hub trial said 5% of people who cast their ballot voted had taken advantage of it.

Cambridge City Council opened three hubs in the week before the official polling day on 7 May for the local elections.

The authority said feedback at the hubs suggested city voters liked the "ease of access and the opportunity to vote at a time that better suited their work or holiday commitments".

The feedback will be shared with the government, who will publish a report in the summer.

Voter turnout across the city was 46.2% this year, typically the city sees a turnout of around 38%.

Returning officer Robert Pollock said before the election he hoped the trial would see the turnout rise to more than 40%.

However, turnout across the country was higher than average in this year's local elections, suggesting other factors also contributed to the turnout figure.

"Initial feedback from voters using the hubs was very positive," said a council spokesperson.

Many welcomed "the additional flexibility and convenience offered by early voting" they added.

"Voters particularly highlighted the ease of access and the opportunity to vote at a time that better suited their work or holiday commitments."

They added that the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) would now undertake a formal evaluation of the pilot.

"The findings of this national evaluation are expected to be published over the summer. Further statistics and updates will be shared once the national evaluation results are available."

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