1. How many Voter Authority Certificates (VACs) has the council issued, how many applications has it rejected, and what is the demographic profile of those applications, both accepted and rejected?
There is no requirement on EROs to record how many VACs they have issued or applications they have rejected, so this information is not available.

The Gov.UK VAC performance dashboard provides application data since the system went live and whilst it does not provide a breakdown by local authority area it does provide an overall breakdown by age group.

There is no requirement to record the demographic profile of applications, so we are unable to provide this information as it is not available to us.

2. Can you confirm that the Chief Executive, acting in their role as the Returning Officer, and/or the Elections Department of your council, has received guidance from the Electoral Commission and/or the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities about implementing the new voter ID legislation for the May 4th elections?
Please see the guidance made available from the Electoral Commission by using the following links:

Electoral Commission guidance to EROs is available here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/running-electoral-registration-england/voter-authority-certificates-and-anonymous-electors-documents
Electoral Commission guidance to ROs is available here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-returning-officers-administering-local-government-elections-england/polling-station-voting

3. Can you confirm a) all polling station staff have been trained on implementing the new processes and if so, b) what that training has entailed.
Training will take place over the coming weeks and will cover all aspects of the role, including new Voter ID and accessibility requirements.

4. Can you confirm whether the Chief Executive, in their role as Returning Officer, has presented a report on preparedness for the Voter ID requirements to the full council or any other appropriate committee of the council? Has this included a risk assessment and mitigation plan? (If yes, please can you supply a copy of that report?)
The Council’s corporate risk register includes the risk on the implementation of the Elections Act 2022. The Council’s Audit Committee is responsible for monitoring the risk register – minutes of its last meeting on 1 February can be found here https://wokingham.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=136&MId=4213

5. Can you confirm whether an audit has been undertaken of all proposed polling stations to identify a private room for those people who, for whatever reason, cover their face in public? What was the outcome of this audit if it has happened? (For example, have any polling stations been found to be unsuitable, and if so, how many?)
Legislation requires ROs to ensure each polling station contains an area in which voters can produce proof of identity in private. Therefore, there is no requirement to provide a private room, simply a private area, which could mean via a privacy screen or other alternative. All polling stations have been assessed in line with Electoral Commission guidance to determine how to accommodate this new requirement and provide a private area for voting.

6. Has the council undertaken a public information campaign to inform voters about the new Voter ID requirements?
Yes.