A "careless" error by election officials led to councillors being criticised over low turnout in the May 5 local elections.

Three Rivers District Council officers added the number of postal votes issued for Thursday's poll to the number of postal and in-person votes actually cast.

The mistake did not affect the results, but made the turnout percentage appear up to six per cent lower than it was.  

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Abbots Langley and Bedmond councillor Sara Bedford and veteran Labour agent and South Oxhey councillor Stephen Cox both spotted the error.

Cllr Bedford said the error resulted in councillors being blamed for the low turnout.

She said: “Councillors were being criticised for a huge drop in turnout, which turns out was incorrect.

“The fact that a council was able to make such a huge mistake with the numbers is at best careless.”

The error comes after the council said in an article that its electoral services would run smoothly. They said: "Precision is the key”.   

Cllr Cox, the Labour group leader, said: “They were incapable of working out a turnout figure, which is basic. We were promised precision, we got inaccuracy.”

A council spokesperson said the mistake was because of an administrative error. The council confirmed the figures have now been recalculated and updated on its website.

Three Rivers results: turnout update

Abbots Langley & Bedmond

Electorate: 4,989

Turnout: 37.74%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 32.43%

Dickinsons ward

Electorate: 5,049

Turnout: 49.02%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 42.72%

Carpenders Park

Electorate: 5,285

Turnout: 33.19%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 28.66%

Chorleywood North and Sarratt

Electorate: 5,721

Turnout: 35.08%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 29.02%

Durrants ward

Electorate: 4,987

Turnout: 41.27%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 36.02%

Oxhey Hall and Hayling

Electorate: 5,280

Turnout: 35.98%

Wrongly calculated turnout – 31.35%

Penn & Mill End

Electorate: 5,196

Turnout: 33.95%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 29.93%

Chorleywood South and Maple Cross

Electorate: 5,802

Turnout: 40.50%

Wrongly calculated turnout - 34.48%

Leavesden

Electorate: 5,858

Turnout: 31.27%

Wrongly calculated turnout – 26.82%

Rickmansworth Town

Electorate: 5,575

Turnout: 40.48%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 34.37%

Gade Valley

Electorate: 5,051

Turnout: 30.15%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 27.01%

Moor Park and Eastbury

Electorate: 4,548

Turnout: 36.26%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 29.95%

South Oxhey

Electorate: 5,237

Turnout: 25.95%

Wrongly calculated turnout: 23.62%

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