Hounslow Highways gets involved with General Election day 2017

Hounslow Highways once again teamed up with the London Borough of Hounslow to successfully deliver general election support on 8th June 2017.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 18th April 2017 that a General Election would be held, the Electoral Services team at Hounslow Council brought on board Hounslow Highways’ Operations team to help plan Election Day across the borough in a period of just 7 weeks!

This marks the fifth election event that Hounslow Highways has worked in partnership with the London Borough of Hounslow, having also supported previous elections including the European Referendum, the Greater London Authority election, the London Mayoral election and a local Council election.

Hounslow Highways was called upon to transport and install 16 portacabins to use as temporary polling stations in 13 (out of 20) wards in the borough where no suitable public buildings were available. On election day, staff from Hounslow Highways were also on-hand to open and close the booths, divert voters to alternative polling stations if the ward’s polling station became unavailable, and provide an immediate response to the 39 election-related additional requests that arose at the polling stations, ensuring the smooth running of the day throughout the borough.

Operations Manager at Ringway Hounslow Highways Limited, Ian Lennock, said:

“Hounslow Highways is mainly associated with cleansing, environment, road and pavement services, but we also support a wide range of events within Hounslow such as the Sikh festival Vaisakhi Procession, Remembrance Day parade, Armed Forces Day, Rugby World Cup 2015, as well as election events; and are keen to continue to support important events such as these within the borough.”

Hounslow Council’s Deputy Acting Returning Officer and Elections Manager, Cassie Triggs, said:

“Organising an election last minute requires a huge team effort. The partnership and effort put in by both the Electoral Services team and Hounslow Highways’ Operational team helped to ensure that the General Election day ran smoothly and successfully throughout the borough.”