Leeds: Council chief says snap elections are hard to organise

When Rishi Sunak called an election on 24 May, it left the Leeds team with only six weeks to finalise plans for polling stations and counts, including staffing and venues.

Mr Riordan told the BBC that the 13-strong team had to “drop everything” to prepare for voting to take place.

They had to ensure ballot papers, polling cards and postal votes were all printed and sent within a tight deadline. They had two days to secure 331 locations, many of them church halls and schools, across Leeds to act as polling stations.

A venue for a count had to be finalised, as the council had responsibility for eight constituencies covering the city boundaries. Leeds Arena, the preferred venue, was booked for a conference, so the John Charles Centre for Sport was used instead.

Mr Riordan said: “The election team are the most amazing public servants. Because of the local elections in May as well, they have not had a break for four months.

“They worked weekends and evenings to make sure the election could happen, and that took a big toll on them.

“Councils do need more time – an extra couple of weeks for the staff that organise everything to do what is needed.”

Mr Riordan added that problems other local authorities had experienced regarding postal voting could be connected to the time pressures they were under.