Reading Borough Council had 'little time to prepare' postal votes as some remain undelivered

Some postal voters have still not received their ballot packs just days ahead of the general election.

Reading Borough Council said it had 'very little time to prepare' for the vote, due to the short notice given to them by the Government.

This lack of notice meant Reading, and other authorities, have been constrained by the capacity of 'specialist secure printers' and Royal Mail.

Postal voting kits were dispatched on 13 June to overseas elector, whilst packs were sent to domestic voters between the 19 and 26 of June.

It says those who haven't received their vote can apply for a replacement pack up until 5pm on 4 July, and they can be collected from the council offices.

If a kit is received too late to post back, it can also be dropped to the council offices, or at a polling station in the same constituency.

A spokesperson said: "We want everyone to be able to vote in the way that best suits them. Unfortunately, the snap nature of this election meant we, along with many other local authorities, voters, and printers, had very little time to prepare for it."Ballot papers can only be sent to print after candidate nominations close, just 19 working days before polling day. Many people did not apply until the deadline on 19 June or just before so their packs were issued later."Our postal vote packs are all personalised which takes time, including necessary security checks. We’re also constrained by the capacity of the small number of specialist secure printers who can print ballot papers and postal vote packs, and the time it takes Royal Mail to deliver and return them – especially for overseas voters."We will continue to do our best to help postal voters in the days leading up to the poll."

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