Tough measures for Tower Hamlets polling stations

Every polling station in Tower Hamlets will have police presence in an attempt to tackle electoral fraud and voter intimidation.

The mayoral contest in Tower Hamlets in 2014 was declared void due to 'corrupt and illegal practices’, when Lutfur Rahman was victorious under the Tower Hamlets First banner, only to be found guilty or breaching election rules.

The 2017 General Election will see exclusion zones outside the majority of its polling stations to prevent large groups of campaigners from obstructing or intimidating voters. The council has also set up a hotline and dedicated email address for people to report any allegations of fraud.

Will Tuckley, acting returning officer for Tower Hamlets, said: “We work closely with the police and the Electoral Commission to monitor elections and this has resulted in a significant reduction in allegations of fraud since 2014, and only a handful in the last three elections. Some of the measures brought in by the council such as ‘exclusion zones’ outside polling stations have now been recommended nationally as good practice.”