General Chat

The single most serious illness infecting the body politic in the UK, (apart from the recent poor English language exam results) is the philosophy – if one can call it that – which says "Why bother voting. We can't change anything".

Any cure for my current bout of political pessimism? Like President Obama, I refuse the ‘ice bucket’ endurance challenge.

My letter has turned up this morning.

I thought I would ring the coucil as mine says ""Your details are NOT on the open register""
When the young lady answered my call, I asked her to take my name off the Open register and she told me that ""Everyone has to phone up to have their name taken off the OPEN register no matter what it says on the letter""

I queried this again with her as the letter says "my details are NOT on the OPEN register and I told her quite a few people are being mislead about this.

She asked me to let everyone know to ring their councils and if they don't want their name on the OPEN register to ask their council to take it off wether your letter says your not on the OPEN or you are..

Ours came today. It says we are NOT on the open register :-D

And I am just pleased that I have helped those whose councils have been as devious as mine.

I am sure that there are more councils who have done this than have not.

<3

Von - that is what my letter say

In bold writing on the first line of 2nd paragraph, you do not need to do anything. Now most will have left it at that. Me I do not trust our wonderful Royal Borough of Greenwich, so I read on.

In the next paragraph the opening sentence Your details will be on the Open Register.

Like many on here, I opted out as soon as it was possible to do so orginally and have been on the closed register ever since.

The council are being very disingenuous. We know the more addresses on the Open register is more money the bank for them.

It pays to read all letters from councils etc., all the way through and not just the first bit which they know many will not read beyond!!! ;-)

Yes. You're right.
Important to read the small print. ;-)

Von, sounds as though councils are all different with the way they have actioned the change over doesn't it?

Ann
On our letter just below the words "you don't have to do anything"

is the sentence "you are on the open register.. This despite the fact that we were never on the open register before.

When we contacted the council they said that they were inundated with people asking to be taken off the open register.

Yes, thanks, DC for posting on this.

I've checked my letter and it says "your name is not on the open register" and to contact them if I want it to be.

Ours came today. It states that we are not on the open register but if we want to be we need to apply. It also explains what the open register is used for.... Among other things it is used for companies to find addresses. I opted out from the time that you could and saw an immediate reduction in junk mail.

People may be confused because, despite saying we are not on the open register, the bit at the end of the letter explaining what it is says that you will be on it and need to apply if you want to be taken off. It is not made clear that this is just a general explanatory note.

All our married life I have filled in the electoral forms and the census - does this mean I am forceful?

Only OH cannot be bothered with the admin side - he leaves it all to me

I would just like to thank Dasedconfused for adding this thread.

We got our letter today
Our details had been added to the "open register" despite the fact that previously we were not on the open one.

Immediately emailed them and details have now been changed.
Thanks to this thread I was made aware that there were discrepancies between authorities.
So a big thank you DC. :-D :-D

Detective is so right about a closed register being important. Many civil servants who deal with mentally ill claimants and other dangerous individuals would not want their addresses available either, nor I suspect would medical staff dealing with them. Neither would victims of violence, domestic abuse and other crimes want to be easily found by criminals when they are released either. Most people whose work involves dealing with the above are also ex-directory.

To cap it all the information must be provided by 11th July 2014 and the letter came yesterday - I give in :-S

My son lives with me and has to apply to join the electoral register in his own right. If he doesn't they will fine him!
*steam coming out of ears*

I emailed only to have a reply that I need to print off the form they have attached, fill it in, sign and date and send back to them !!! Grrrrr, Grrrrr, Grrrrr!!!!! :-|

Our confirmation letters arrived in the post a few minutes ago.

They state:-

Your details are NOT on the Open Register. To be added to the Open Register please contact us using the details at the top of this letter.

The lack of a legal definition for 'Head of Household' is one of the reasons the system is changing as previously it was virtually impossible to ascertain responsibility when returns were not completed in order to bring a successful prosecution. The loose definition was the person or persons who pay the mortgage or signed the tenancy agreement and or their partner.

Under the new system where individuals are now responsible for their own return it will be simpler to bring prosecutions for non-compliance.

I too have usually done the filling in - I don't think I've ever noticed the words "head of the household" and I should have thought I would have done - familiar as we all after reading the censuses!

"Head of the household"
I think the woman of the house decides who that is to be. (depending on the situation) :-D