TNT Post sends poll cards to wrong voters

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'Threat to elections' as mail firm TNT Post sends poll cards to wrong voters

A mail delivery firm was accused today of “endangering” local and European elections after polling cards were dumped or delivered to the wrong London addresses.

TNT Post has sent residents in Barnet the wrong cards notifying them of next month’s polls. Other mail has been discovered discarded on top of bins.

Residents say they have spotted postal staff leaving sacks of mail, including polling cards, unlocked on bikes unattended for up to an hour.

Candidates fear it could influence the outcome of the borough election, with Barnet said to be “on a knife-edge” as Labour bids to seize control from the Tories. Dutch company TNT Post has contracts with 11 London councils.

Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna said: “Voters and officials need to have complete confidence that polling cards are being sent out correctly. If mistakes are being made by TNT, endangering the elections, this is hugely concerning and needs to be looked at immediately.”


Andrew Dismore, Labour member for Barnet and Camden on the London Assembly, added: “It’s really worrying when you‘ve got a tight council election coming up that TNT may be responsible for changing the result if they don’t get these things out properly.

Barnet resident Ruth Montague, 83, of Kenilworth Road, told how she applied for a postal vote only to receive polling cards for two households in neighbouring Fairmead Crescent.

“It’s a complete shambles,” she said. “I’ve seen errors with house numbers before but to get the road wrong suggests the TNT postmen can’t read. I phoned the council to find out where my card is but they’re not sure if it’s been delivered elsewhere or is on its way. I know a lot of people with postal votes. They don’t know what to do.”


Paul Dempsey, 33, also got polling cards meant for people who live at the same number as him in Fairmead Crescent. He said: “We delivered them to them ourselves.” Malgorzata Tylki, 34, added: “I’m receiving mail wrongly for Fairmead Crescent all the time.”

A Standard reporter delivered three bank statements she had been wrongly sent to the correct address in Fairmead Crescent.

If residents are registered to vote, they can cast a ballot in person without a polling card on election day, May 22. But there are fears the polls could be thrown into chaos.

TNT claimed its work for Barnet only involved collecting and sorting mail, with Royal Mail responsible for delivering polling cards.

However, Barnet council said TNT delivered about 10 per cent them. Photo evidence also revealed stickers on the cards reading “TNT Post”. Royal Mail confirmed it had not delivered all polling cards in Barnet.

Barnet council said it was “not aware of any problems relating to any TNT- delivered election material”.

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Private mail firm slammed after poll cards found dumped on bin
Friday, 25 April 2014

By Daniel O’Brien

A PRIVATE postal delivery company has come under fire after election materials were delivered to the wrong address or dumped in the street.

Staff at TNT Post, which delivers ten per cent of Barnet Council’s poll cards and other related materials, have been accused of disrupting the upcoming local election in May after a pensioner in Edgware received a postal vote reminder intended for someone else last week.

And within days poll cards were found left on a wheelie bin, outside the wrong address.

Earlier this year the postal firm, which has set itself up as a rival to the privatised Royal Mail, expanded its delivery service into north west London and Harrow, promising to deliver to around 400,000 homes, and opening a new depot in Colindale, as well as Harrow, Camden and Brent.

Local election candidate for West Hendon Adam Langleben said reports of dumped mail and letters delivered to the wrong address was “worrying”.

He said: “TNT may well be delivering bank statements, important council documents and other private material. It looks like TNT are not training their staff to the high standards that we are used to from Royal Mail posties.”

Ruth Montague, 83, said she was “shocked” to discover a two postal vote notices intended for residents in Fairmead Crescent, delivered to her home in Kenilworth Road.

“I was quite concerned,” said the retired Labour electoral agent. “If they are delivering stuff to Kenilworth Road that should have gone to Fairmead Crescent there is quite a lot of people who aren’t getting what they should be. Was mine posted elsewhere? “If they are going to get TNT to deliver postal votes then God help us.”

Ammar Naqvi, Labour candidate for Burnt Oak, said he found two poll cards addressed to Copinger Walk, Edgware, bearing the TNT postmark were found left on a waste collection bin outside a house on nearby Cameron Crescent.

“I was shocked,” he said. “It was quite a breach of confidentiality and really quite incompetent on the part of TNT.”

When contacted by The Press, a spokeswoman for TNT originally issued a statement claiming that it only collected and sorted mail on behalf of Barnet Council, and was not responsible for its deliveries.

However, the council has confirmed it has contracted some of its deliveries to TNT, and The Press is awaiting further comment from the company.

A Barnet Council spokesman said: “The majority of poll cards in Barnet have been delivered by Royal Mail with less than ten per cent being delivered by TNT. The council is currently not aware of any problems relating to any TNT delivered election material."