Published: Monday 17th September 2018 | 11.42am
In August this year, as part of Cannock Chase Council’s Annual Canvass, every household in the Cannock Chase area was sent a Household Enquiry Form (HEF). The form is addressed to “The Occupier” and contains details inside of who is currently recorded as living at the property. You need to respond to the form.
Responding can be done on-line; by telephone or by completing the form and returning it to the Council. New residents can be added, and people who’ve moved out can be deleted. If no response is received, the Council is required by law to send reminders and, if necessary, arrange a personal visit by a canvasser. This all costs money that could be better spent elsewhere.
Electoral Registration Officers are required to carry out an annual canvass to ensure that the electoral register is up to date and accurate, and it presents an opportunity for every household to confirm that records for that property are correct.
There have been a number of important elections recently: last year saw a ‘snap’ General Election, and there was the historic EU Referendum the year before. You can’t vote unless you’re on the electoral register. Failure to respond to the canvass will result in removal from the register, meaning you lose the right to vote. Not being on the electoral register also affects an individual’s credit rating.
Tony McGovern, Managing Director and Electoral Registration Officer at Cannock Chase Council, said “Anyone that wants to vote must be registered. To make sure you are able to have your say at the next elections, simply check and complete the form and return it as soon as possible.”
“If you’re not currently registered, we’ll send you information explaining how to do this or you can just go online to apply to register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote”
It’s particularly important that anyone who has moved address in the last year looks out for the form and checks if they are registered at their new address. This applies to people renting as well as home owners, and it couldn’t be easier to register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
Any residents who have any questions can contact the Electoral Services team at:
Telephone: 01543 464437 or 01543 464754