The information on this page is about the 2023 annual canvass. The page includes information for candidates and details of the payments scheme.
Thank you for your interest in working for us on our annual canvass. Please read the following information carefully before completing the application form.
Your role
Every year the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has a legal duty to undertake an audit of all household voter registration in the borough and produce a new Register of Electors by 1 December. This process is known as the annual canvass.
In order to facilitate the canvass, the ERO employs a team of canvassers to assist the Electoral Services team with the delivery and completion of canvass forms.
As a canvasser, your first job will be to deliver canvass forms to certain residential properties within the borough. Which properties receive a hand delivered form is pre-determined by Electoral Services ahead of the canvass and is based on extensive data matching. Canvass forms are used to gather information about who lives in each household and their eligibility to register to vote.
Your second job will be to deliver reminder forms to properties that have not responded to the initial request for information.
Your third job will be to make personal visits to non-responding households to assist with the completion of their canvass forms.
Canvassing requires you to work in your own time, which must include evenings and weekends. For council staff, this will mean working outside of your normal council duties (i.e. evenings and Saturdays/Sundays or on leave days). This role is a temporary/sessional one. It is not a full-time position.
Successful applicants who are appointed to undertake the visit stage of the canvass will be required to attend training in August.
As a canvasser you will be required to have:
- the availability to work unsociable hours during evenings and weekends within a restricted period
- good mobility and the physical ability to carry equipment and climb stairs
- good communication skills and the ability to complete neat and accurate records of your visits
- awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural diversity
- the ability to work under pressure and the determination to meet deadlines, starting each stage on the earliest scheduled date straight away
- excellent attention to detail and the ability to organise own workload
- a professional and politically neutral manner
- the ability to ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times.
General information:
- canvassers may be offered a canvass round anywhere in the borough, though we try to allocate according to specific requests, where possible
- all canvasser work will be checked against information from other sources and anyone found to be deliberately falsifying information may face action
- canvassers must have good numeracy and literacy skills and must be aged 18 or over, due to lone-working
- canvassers will be issued tablet devices to record information for each property and person.
Canvass timetable 2023
Dates may be subject to change depending on printing times.
Initial delivery stage
- Collect forms on Wednesday 12 July.
- Finish by Sunday 16 July.
Reminder delivery stage
- Collect forms on Wednesday 9 August.
- Finish by Sunday 13 August.
Visit stage
- Training and collection of equipment from Monday 21 to Monday 28 August.
- Finish by mid-November.
Your main duties and responsibilities will be:
- to deliver the initial and reminder forms in your allocated area(s) within the days allocated
- for the visit stage, to attend a training session covering all duties and procedures involved
- to visit non-responding properties personally and assist with the completion of the canvass form
- to visit non-responding individual residents personally and assist with the completion of individual voter registration forms
- to record details of eligible electors accurately and make notes of visits
- to collect tablets / forms and other materials on time
- to keep to a set timetable, and to contact the office in the event of any circumstances that may prevent the completion of work on time
- to identify new properties and notify Electoral Services of other relevant changes (e.g. houses that have been converted to flats, new blocks of flats, demolitions etc...)
- to carry out work in accordance with the instructions given. Failure to do so may result in employment being terminated.
Training – visit stage
If your application to work as a canvasser is successful, you will be informed in your appointment letter whether you need to attend the training session for new canvassers or experienced canvassers.
Experienced canvassers
If you have worked for H&F Council as a canvasser before, your training session for the personal visit stage of the canvass is scheduled to take place 21-28 August (exact dates/time TBC). This session will last approximately 1 hour. Visit materials will be available for collection at the end of your training session.
New canvassers
If you have not worked as a canvasser for H&F Council before, you will be required to attend our new canvassers training session for the personal visit stage. These sessions are scheduled to take place 21-28 August (exact dates/time TBC) and will last approximately 2 hours. Visit materials will be available for collection at the end of your training session.
Before applying to work as a canvasser, it is very important to read the following information:
- canvassing involves making personal visits to all kinds of different properties in Hammersmith & Fulham
- you will be expected to visit properties at evenings and weekends
- you will be speaking to the occupants of the properties you visit and asking them to complete canvass forms and voter registration forms with you on their doorsteps
- you will be completing two different types of registration forms (household and individual). Some properties you visit will only have a household form, some will only have individual forms, some will have both
- you will need to do a substantial amount of walking (whether that be between properties or up and down flights of stairs in blocks of flats)
- because of the time of year that you will be making visits, it may be dark, wet and cold when you are out making them
- from time to time, you may visit properties where the occupants are unwilling to work with you. It is possible that some of the conversations you have with these people will be challenging
- we do not pay for parking or travelling costs.
Pay rates
Deliveries will be paid 27p per form.
Pay for household visits will be at least the London Minimum Wage and include a fee for attending training.
Households £2 per completed form, 36p if just calling card left.
Individual’s (ITR) forms £2 per completed form with elector added, £1 if no elector added.
How to apply
You can apply using our online form (available shortly). If you would prefer to apply using a paper application form, please contact Electoral Services.
The ERO has to comply with legislation to prevent the employment of illegal workers. You will be asked to provide your passport, and any relevant supporting documentation, to confirm that you are entitled to work in the UK. If you are registered unemployed, you are strongly advised to consult your Jobcentre Plus office before you accept any offer of employment from us as taking up temporary employment as a canvasser may affect your entitlement to benefits.
To contact us, or to return a paper application form, use the following contact details:
By post:
Electoral Services
Hammersmith Town Hall
King Street
London
W6 9JU
In person:
Electoral Services
3 Shortlands
Hammersmith
W6 8DA
Email: electoral.servicesrecruit@lbhf.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 8753 1299
If you cannot get access to the internet, please contact Electoral Services on the number above.
If you no longer wish to be considered for the position after submitting your application, please contact Electoral Services immediately on 020 8753 1299.
Please note that applications will not be acknowledged, and unsuccessful applicants will not be contacted.
We may contact other council’s Electoral Services offices regarding any previous employment you may have had and equally we may share your details where necessary.