Election register with voters' details missing

A register containing the names and addresses of hundreds of Wolverhampton voters has gone missing, it was revealed today.

The news comes just days after it emerged 229 more votes were recorded than there were ballot papers issued.

The revelation concerns the election of Tory city MP Paul Uppal, ousting Labour's Rob Marris on May 6. The marked register of General Election voters from part of the city's Park ward is missing from Wolverhampton City Council's electoral registration department.

It contains names and addresses of up to 500 voters along with a mark to say whether or not they received a ballot paper.

Park ward falls in the same Wolverhampton South West constituency, where it appears more than 200 extra people voted than ballot papers were issued.

That discrepancy is still unexplained more than three months since the elections. It emerged today the register was revealed to be missing after Liberal Democrat campaigners asked to inspect it.

Colin Ross, the Lib Dem candidate in Wolverhampton North East, said: "We asked to see it so we could get a picture of which areas had voted.

"I am not suggesting that it is connected with the discrepancy in the number of votes compared to ballot papers, but I am concerned that it is missing and would like it to be found as soon as possible."

The missing register relates to homes in streets such as Compton Road, Richmond Road, Linden Lea and York Avenue as well as the University of Wolverhampton campus off Compton Road West.

Every ward has between eight and 10 marked registers. The missing one is though to contain around 500 names and addresses.

Wolverhampton City Council's chief legal officer Susan Kembrey said today: "An investigation into an apparent discrepancy is under way and it would be inappropriate for the council to speculate about the matter until it is complete."

The Express & Star told last week how Tory, Labour and Lib Dem candidates, their agents and the council staff knew on the night that there was a discrepancy in the votes but agreed to accept it because the 299 extra votes could not affect Mr Uppal's victory with a majority of 691.