Called somewhat unexpectedly on the 22nd of May, the proceeding 6 weeks have been an incredibly busy time, requiring a real collective effort. With poll cards provided, postal vote packs enclosed and mailed, and ballot papers dispatched in preparation for polling day, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the combined efforts that have supported our clients up and down the country during this hectic, but incredibly rewarding time.
Of course, our teams made many necessary preparations in advance of any announcement being made, in the knowledge that the election would have to happen before the end of January 2025. This included purchasing paper stocks, pre-scheduling meetings and keeping up to date on announcements. The industry consensus was that the election would likely take place in October or November, therefore it was still a shock to hear that the polling date was set to fall on July 4th – especially as CFH elections specialist Nicki Newburn was relaxing on holiday at the time!
Phone calls were taking place the moment the election was announced, and resources were allocated straight away to ensure CFH had teams in place to meet the demands of our council clients. Nicki was straight on the phone with the DLUHC, while account managers, production teams and sales support colleagues were all briefed immediately.
A well as discussing matters with clients and allocating tasks to teams and individuals, the side of a snap parliamentary election that people don’t usually see was addressed - running an election project that would normally require 6 months of planning, in just 6 weeks. Working around the clock straight away to meet deadlines, as well as answering queries, managing processes and speaking directly with council representatives, our teams were responsible for the important task of overseeing the printing and postage of poll cards, postal vote packs and ballot papers. Our output also included large print ballot papers, for those with accessibility needs.
Having an experienced team across the whole of the business has really helped, and without them, we couldn’t have made this happen. Understanding how elections work, the importance of accuracy as well as the value of data and documents have all been extremely important.
Nicki Newburn, Resident Elections Expert
Onsite and online client checking was an important consideration for the team, as council representatives attended our locations in person to review processes and sign off. We were pleased to host individuals from Tamworth Borough Council and Watford Borough Council among others, who were able attend our site in person to carry out a sign off for postal vote packs. In all cases, we're happy to be there in person as postal packs are collected by Royal Mail.
Our new Senior Relationship Manager Liz Philpot joined the team just two weeks after the election was called, and there was time to get acquainted with the teams at our Radstock and Slough sites during this period. Liz joins with over 25 years of experience specifically in the elections sector, having collaborated with over half of UK councils during her career. Having Liz join the team certainly strengthens us going forward, helping us in sharing electoral expertise across the business - improving outcomes in the future.
My first few weeks at CFH involved watching everyone in full election mode, doing an incredible job. It was really good to meet many election clients as they came onsite at Slough for their postal pack QA checks, and it has been a great learning curve to see how CFH operates.
Liz Philpot, Senior Relationship Manager
With figures from the election period counted up, and direct feedback received from council clients, the combined efforts of our teams have certainly proven all the more worthwhile come election day. Overall, CFH are pleased to have supported 46 councils across the country during the election, having printed and posted poll cards, postal vote packs and ballot papers predominantly. We produced over 3.7 million poll cards for clients, which included crucial polling station and voting information. In addition, we were able to print and post over 850,000 postal vote packs, as well as an astonishing total of over 4.5 million ballot papers.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all of the teams involved in supporting our clients during the 2024 General Election period. This includes our account managers, production teams and sales support staff, as well as those who have stepped in to help while attentions have been focused on the election. The collaboration and combined efforts of all involved has been integral to a successful 6 weeks.
If you would like to stay up to date with elections here at CFH, sign up for our dedicated electoral newsletter CFH Electoral News, and have everything delivered straight to your mailbox. You can sign up for CFH Electoral News here.
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