East Lothian council sets up emergency postal vote centre amid nationwide delays

Another local authority has taken emergency measures to ensure residents in the area are able to cast their vote amid a nationwide delay in the delivery of postal votes.

East Lothian Council has taken urgent steps to issue replacement voting packs for those who will be away from Monday.

Voters in East Lothian who have not yet received their postal vote and are going away on holiday between now and Monday can collect a replacement paper this weekend.

Meadowmill Sports Centre in Prestonpans will be open from 2pm to 4pm on Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sunday and ID must be shown to collect the voting pack.

Replacements were also being issued in Edinburgh and Glenrothes over the weekend at the City Chambers and Fife House.

STV News has contacted all 32 Scottish councils to ask what arrangements they have in place and what their residents should do if their ballot has not yet arrived.

Most councils said the last remaining voting packs should be delivered on Saturday, and anyone still waiting should get in touch on Monday.

More than 25% of the electorate now votes via mail – up from around 2% a few decades ago – but recent delays in delivering ballots have prompted concerns that some won’t be able to participate.

The July 4 date of the election coincides with Scotland’s school summer holidays, meaning some families may already have left the UK before their voting pack arrives.