Postal strike warning over Wigan by-election votes

The contest, caused by the death of sitting councillor Jim Davies, is taking place on Thursday 18 October. Over 1400 people have requested a postal vote.

The advice comes as Royal Mail workers began the first of two 48-hour walkouts in a protest over pay and fears over job cuts following the breakdown of last-minute talks between Royal Mail managers and the Communication Workers' Union (CWU).

Council election chiefs said there are no problems with issuing the votes to residents as these are being delivered by hand.

However, with a strike this week, another 48 hour strike due on Monday, and the possibility of further rolling strikes, they are concerned that some returned votes might get caught up in the backlog of mail to be sorted or delivered, and arrive too late to be counted.

Democratic services manager Brian Hayes said:
“There is always the potential for mail being delayed during a series of strikes. As much of Wigan Central is close to the town hall, anyone who wants to be certain their vote has arrived might want to deliver it to us by hand.
“People who actively request a postal vote are very likely to use it, which is why we’re having to issue this advice. We hope they will understand that this is a situation beyond our control.”