BROMSGROVE District Council has been accused of 'putting people off voting' in the general election, amid allegations that several postal voters did not receive their polling cards.

The allegations come just weeks after the council apologised for mistakenly sending a letter to residents telling them they would vote in Redditch.

Cllr Michael Thompson, who stood as Labour candidate in the June 8 election, raised the issue at a full council meeting last Wednesday (June 21).

He said: "I spoke to many postal voters who did not receive their voting slip in time to vote. In addition, it was well publicised that many Bromsgrove-based voters were given polling cards with addresses ending in Redditch, putting many people off voting."

Cllr Thompson blamed the council's decision to share electoral services with Redditch Borough Council, and accused Conservative councillors of 'robbing' residents of their democratic right to vote.

But leader Geoff Denaro denied the claims, insisting the council had received no complaints about residents being unable to vote.

Of the 12,791 postal votes sent out to residents via Royal Mail, 87 per cent were returned in time to be counted.

"It is inevitable given the stringent rules surrounding the postal vote system that some people will fall foul of the deadlines," said Cllr Denaro. "Sadly we can do nothing about this as our officers are, of course, bound by the strict legislative timetable.

"The election manager is not aware of any person who has been denied an opportunity to vote for reasons that cannot be fully justified and the elections team work extremely hard in ensuring that every person who is entitled to vote can."