Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has with representatives of the Local Government Association in advance of the establishment of National Democracy Week.

The Cabinet Office announced plans for a new National Democracy Week on International Democracy Day, 15 September 2017. We established a National Democracy Council to develop and deliver the week. The Council comprises leading electoral community group representatives, notably including SOLACE who represent Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers, as well as a range of civil society groups. Details of the Council are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-democracy-week-council-members

By law, the work of Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers is separate from local authority functions and they are represented in the work they do by the Society of LA Chief Executives (SOLACE). Electoral Administration staff are represented by the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA). We engage with SOLACE and the AEA on a regular basis and not via other channels, such as the Local Government Association.