Annual canvass letters being sent to Wiltshire residents

Wiltshire Council is continuing to ensure that the county's electoral register is up to date by contacting Wiltshire residents who have not yet responded to the annual canvass.

Each year the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has a legal requirement to conduct a canvass to ensure the electoral register is accurate and complete.

Some Wiltshire residents have already been contacted via email and were asked to confirm that the details held for their household are correct. The email, from Wiltshire Council's Electoral Services, asked residents to confirm any changes to their details at https://www.householdresponse.com (opens new window). It also included their security codes and steps on how to access their household details. So far, the council has received 50.89% responses to the email which is 48,709 properties.

Next week, forms will be posted to residents who have not already been contacted or responded to the email. There will be clear instructions about the process on every correspondence sent as part of the canvass if a response or change is required.

Wiltshire Council encourages all residents to respond to the annual canvass electronically if they can - it is more convenient for residents and saves the council money and time.

As part of this process, Wiltshire Council or the Electoral Commission will never ask people for their bank details.

Terence Herbert, Wiltshire Council Chief Executive and Returning Officer, said: We have had an excellent response so far to the Annual Canvass emails, with around 50% of emails being actioned. This is not only quicker and easier for the resident but helps to save the council money sending out letters.

We are now moving on to the second phase of the process and will be sending paper forms to over 170,000 properties. Please take a few minutes to check the form and confirm by using the Household Response Service website - www.householdresponse.com (opens new window), phoning 0800 1979871, by texting 'No Change' to 80212 or by post.

If the details are incorrect or have changed you can amend the information on the Household Respond service website or by contacting the electoral services team either by post or by calling 0300 456 0112.

People who are not correctly registered, could lose their eligibility to vote in any future local or general elections, therefore it's crucial that all details we hold are correct.

More details, including FAQs can be found at