Yorkshire revolt over polls count

The councils are being asked to start within four hours of polls closing after an amendment to the Constitutional Reform Bill was approved by the House of Commons.

However the amendment has yet to be made law and, with a General Election expected on Thursday, May 6, the North Yorkshire councils of Craven, Harrogate and Selby are planning to delay their counts until Friday, May 7.

The Tories are understood to have identified Selby and Ainsty, the new seat of York Outer and Harrogate and Knaresborough as key targets and, since Hull and York have also yet to confirm when they will hold their counts, the country could be left waiting 24 hours for the final crucial results to be announced.

The authorities have been accused of increasing already high levels of voter apathy by taking away the drama and excitement of election night but they hit back, stating it was a more efficient method of achieving a "robust result".

Rural councils can face significant logistical problems such as the time it takes to return ballot boxes and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives has said putting time pressure on returning officers is wrong.

A spokesman for Selby Council defended its decision, but said should the changes to the Bill become law, it would immediately reverse it.

He said: "Our understanding of the current situation is that the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill is still going through due process and, as such, is not yet established as legislation.

"We are keeping a careful eye on proceedings as they develop.

"We have already set out our intention to count votes on the Friday following an election on the basis of efficacy and efficiency, bearing in mind the requirement to validate postal votes handed in on the day and to ensure a robust result.

"We must, of course, consider and abide by any changes to legislation should these become law prior to the General Election this year."

The amendment to the Bill was rushed through after it emerged councils across Britain were planning to delay their counts, blaming increased numbers of postal votes and the cost of paying overtime.

It has cross-party support and therefore is likely to be approved in the House of Lords relatively quickly, meaning the councils will be forced to hold their counts after the polls.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "The House of Commons agreed an amendment tabled by the opposition and moved by the Justice Secretary, which required that returning officers begin the counting of votes within four hours of the polls closing, except in exceptional circumstances.

"This reflected the consensus across the political spectrum that the overnight count — a traditional part of British democracy for many years, should be retained — not least because the drama of General Election night is important in engaging the public in politics."

A Friday count had been considered at Kirklees Council where the Colne Valley seat is also expected to be a crucial battleground. The authority has now announced it will continue the tradition of working through the night to get a result.

Declaration timetable

Counting immediately after the polls close:

East Riding, Scarborough, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, Hambleton, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield, Rotherham, Calderdale, Bradford, Wakefield, Kirklees,

Leeds.

Counting the following day: Craven, Harrogate, Selby.

No decision made: Hull, York.