Philip Dunne comments on the statement by the Chief Executive of SSDC apologising for the serious errors in respect of poll cards and postal vote balllot papers.Commenting following the statement by the Chief Executive of SSDC at the end of last week apologising for the serious errors that have occurred in respect of poll cards and postal vote ballot papers, Philip Dunne MP said: "Many residents have alerted me to a catalogue of errors for tomorrow's District Council elections.

I know council staff are working flat out to sort out problems, in particular in getting Postal Votes to residents in time for Thursday's poll.

For these elections the Government introduced new rules with unrealistic deadlines and complex procedures attempting to restore confidence in Postal Voting. But it was not properly thought through. There was no chance for complex new computer software to be tested so errors and delays occurred at the printers with poll cards and some ballot papers.

This shambles bears all the hallmarks of Government mismanagement. I have raised the practical problems with the Electoral Commission and asked the Chief Executives of SSDC and BDC to submit a full report on these elections so that these errors never happen again.

I have been encouraging everyone to vote on Thursday as these are such important elections for the future of our local councils.

I fear some residents away on holiday or at work, at university or unable to get out of their home on the day may not now be able to vote. I urge anyone who is not able to exercise their right to vote to contact their local district council so the extent of the impact of these problems can be determined."