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Responding to the introduction of the Elections Bill in Parliament earlier this week, Solace Elections & Democratic Renewal spokesperson Louise Round said: “This Elections Bill addresses some matters we agree with, as well as some where we have considerable reservations such as Voter ID – but it represents a missed opportunity.

“We support the Law Commission’s recommendations for wholescale reform of electoral legislation in the UK and believe this should be the top priority. Unfortunately, this Bill does not do that and instead it has the potential to make matters worse by placing more burdens on to an already creaking electoral system.

“So we have concerns not only in relation to the impact this Bill, if enacted, will have on exhausted elections teams, but more widely about the ongoing resilience and capacity of the electoral system as a whole.

“We will, of course, work constructively with the UK Government, Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators and others on the Bill. But using precious legislative time to pass an Elections Bill that does not address the need for full scale reforms of the UK electoral system to make it fit for the future is disappointing.”