FI16593

Request

I would like to make a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I would like to request that the Council provide a document in Excel or CSV format which sets out the following information for each road in the area the Council covers which contains at least 1 residential address: - Road Name - Number of Houses - Number of Registered Electors - Polling District - Parish Ward (if applicable) - Parish (if applicable) - Ward - County Division - Parliamentary Constituency The information should be accurate as at 1 January 2026.

Response

I refer to your request under the Freedom of Information Act regarding property statistics held by the Electoral Registration Officer for the Dover District Council area. Under the Representation of the People Act 1983 as amended, the Council must appoint an officer of the Council to be the Returning Officer for any constituency or part of a constituency coterminous with or situated in the Council’s area. Nadeem Aziz is the appointed officer for the registration area of Dover District. His appointment as Returning Officer (RO) and as Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) is separate to his appointment as Chief Executive and, although appointed by the Council, both the Electoral Registration Officer and the Returning Officer’s responsibilities and duties are personal. An example of this is that the register of electors is deemed to be the property of the Electoral Registration Officer, not the local authority. 

The Electoral Registration Officer and the Returning Officer do not carry out the duties on behalf of the local authority but in their own personal capacity. Details of what constitutes a public body that is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act is available at the following website: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/foi/freedom-of-information-and-environmental-information-regulations/public-authorities-under-foia/. 

As you will see, the Freedom of Information Act does not list any person appointed under the Representation of the People Act 1983. It follows that the Electoral Registration Officer, Returning Officer or any other person appointed under the Act are not subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. 

Notwithstanding that there is no statutory obligation to provide this information under FOI regulations, the information you have requested can be found in the attached excel spreadsheets.

Attachments

Attachment 1

Attachment 2