It looks as if Friday's meeting of the Electoral Review Panel generated more heat than light when it came to the discussion about second home voters. Cornwall councillors Jeremy Rowe and Alex Folkes have already blogged about this.
As I understand it the Panel is making the following recommendations: that the idea of cross-referencing the council tax discount register with the electoral roll will be considered (but don't hold your breath - senior officials have already dismissed it as too time-consuming and too expensive;) the council will write to deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg seeking a clarification of the law; and that the council's annual canvass will include a note to all potential electors in Cornwall reminding them that they should not vote if they're not entitled to (yes, really.)
Not much of a revolution. If Nick Clegg now fails to deal with second home voting in his forthcoming Parliamentary Reform Bill, could it be the end of the issue for the Liberal Democrats? Clegg had an opportunity to say something about second homes today when he made his statement about individual voter registration - but if he has any thoughts on the subject, he kept them to himself.
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