A survey of councils by the Local Government Association (LGA),
shows overwhelming support for a change in the law to ban junk mail
companies from gaining access to voters' details through the
electoral register.
In July, the Information Commissioner recommended that the
government change the law to stop the sale of the electoral roll as
it sent out the wrong message about the government's attitude to
the safe management of citizens' data.
The survey of 204 councils, carried out by the LGA and the
Association of Electoral Administrators, shows that 98% of election
officers at councils around the country think the government should
change the law to stop direct marketing companies gaining access to
the electoral register.
The survey also reveals that 88% believe that the practice of
selling the electoral roll
discourages people from registering to vote.
The
survey of electoral officers also shows that, on average,
councils only raise around £1,900 a year from selling the register,
and that this is unlikely to cover the cost of administering
adapted registers for direct marketing purposes and dealing with
requests.
The government
changed the law in 2002 to give direct marketing companies the
right to buy an edited version of the electoral register from
councils.
Residents can remove their name from the list that is sold on by
ticking a box on the voter registration form that is posted out
every year.
Councillor Richard Kemp, deputy chairman of the LGA, said, "The
survey clearly shows that town halls hugely resent having to pass
the electoral roll to direct marketing companies. Most people hate
junk mail and cold calling and councils do not want to be a part of
the process that generates money for junk mail companies in this
way.
"Selling the electoral roll undermines democracy, dissuades
people from voting and gives people the impression that the council
is profiting from selling their personal information. Ministers
must change the law to ban junk mail firms from getting their
information through the electoral roll."
Kemp said that keeping two separate electoral rolls was "fiddly,
costly and frankly a pain in the backside for councils".
A change in the law would cut down on the junk mail that can
infuriate homeowners and would also be a way of boosting the number
of people who register to vote, at a time when turnout is at an
all-time low, he said.
Direct marketing firms claim they mainly use the electoral roll
for checking they have the correct details for potential sales
targets.