Council chief steps down over Barnet election issues

The chief executive of Barnet Council has stepped down following issues on 5 May’s local elections that saw voters turned away from polling stations.

Mistakes with electoral registers led to many voters being turned away from polling stations if they had not come with their polling cards.

All 155 polling stations in the borough were affected and Andrew Travers has reportedly left the authority by ‘mutual agreement’ following the the issues.

The Council has also launched an independent investigation into the problems.

A Council spokesperson said: “Following problems with electoral registration lists on Thursday 5 May 2016, which meant that some Barnet residents were unable to vote, the council is launching a full independent investigation.

"The terms of reference will include a full review of the issues that arose last week as well as the appropriateness of the arrangements in place for the EU Referendum in June. The review will conclude by the end of May and the findings will be presented publicly to the General Functions Committee. We are currently in discussions to establish who will lead on the investigation and will provide further information shortly."