Electoral Commission report on costs of May 2011 referendum
20 December 2012
The Chair of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, Graham Allen MP, today welcomed the publication of the Electoral Commission’s report on the costs of the May 2011 referendum on the UK parliamentary voting system:
"The referendum in May 2011 was an invaluable opportunity for the UK public to express their views about what system should be used to elect Members of Parliament. The Electoral Commission’s report provides useful information about what the referendum cost. It is clear from their report that the total budget needed to fund the referendum was over-estimated.
The Commission calls on the Government to make changes to the way such UK-wide polls are funded and administered in future. I am pleased that the Government has committed to undertake a review. I share the Commission’s view that it is important that changes recommended as a result of this review are in place in time for the European elections in June 2014. I look forward to the Government publishing a timetable for the review that takes this into account."