Ballot paper blunder 'cost 13 Pcs'

A £350,000 mistake on ballot papers in the upcoming police commissioner elections has cost the taxpayer the equivalent of 13 constables, it has been claimed.

Preparations for the vote in Wales have been labelled "shambolic" after millions of forms were printed in English only.

In Wales, all official forms, such as ballot papers and driving licence applications, must be printed in Welsh and English.

Ministers in London have vowed to correct the error and insist they are committed to ensuring "full parity" between both languages.

Plaid Cymru Welsh Assembly Member Simon Thomas said: "The government in London are making extreme cuts to public funding. At the same time, lack of consideration for necessary provision in the Welsh language means having to go through an extra procedure in order to ensure Welsh ballot papers, which has meant wasting £350,000.

"This money could have paid for a trained police constable in 13 Welsh communities."

Voters will go to the polls across England and Wales on November 15 to elect police and crime commissioners.

The move, a key Conservative manifesto pledge, will replace the existing appointed police authorities and it is hoped will create more accountability in police forces.

However, the English-only mistake on Wales's 2.3 million ballot papers meant peers in the House of Lords had to rush through emergency legislation to approve a new bilingual paper for voters, 48 hours before a postal voting deadline.

Lib Dem peer Lord Roberts said it was "a shambolic way" to undertake an election. "The ballot papers are supposed to be going out within the next 48 hours," he said. "It is beyond my comprehension."