Canvasser recruitment

Each year the Council is required by law to conduct the annual canvass that usually runs between August to November. Every residential property within the borough will receive a canvass communication by email or hand delivered which the occupier will need to check that the information we hold is correct, some of these properties will need to respond. The Electoral Registration Officer must employee canvassers on a casual basis to complete this task.

We have two opportunities for you to assist with:  

Stage 1: Hand delivery

What's involved:

You will be allocated an area to deliver canvass communications to which must be completed within a one week specified period. The communication will be enveloped with the address to deliver to in the window. Your round will be organised into streets for you to organise your own delivery route.

Stage 2: Personal Canvass

What's involved:

You will be required to go door to door to the properties that have not responded to the canvass communication delivered in stage 1. You will be provided with a list of properties to visit and a copy of the canvass form for that property. You can assist the occupier in completing the canvass form, encourage them to respond or if no response post the form (you can choose to visit a second time to get a response). 

You will also be provided with blank Invitation to register (ITR) form's for any persons that are eligible to and are not already registered. You will also be provided with preprinted ITR forms for potential electors who have not responded to previous invitations to register. These can be completed at the door or left with them and encouraged to complete.

General Matters

Canvassers may be required to undertake a canvass round anywhere in the borough, unless they have specified a particular area, which we will try to accommodate if the round is available.

The size of the rounds will vary, and you may be allocated more than one, a limit is placed on the number of properties a person delivers to.

The canvass areas for door knocking will cover a larger geographical area, the number of properties in each canvass area will vary between 250 and 450 properties and may differ to the area allocated in stage 1.

You do not need to do both stages but allocation for delivering will be appointed to those first who apply for booth stages.

Work must be carried out in the timescales that will be specified.

You will be required to attend a mandatory training session and equipment collection if you are carrying out the door knocking element.

What would you be paid?

Hand delivery of Canvass Communications is 25p per envelope.

Canvass: The payment for a returned Canvass Communication Form will be a basic fee of £1 per completed form and 25p for incomplete forms which are to be posted through the door if you have been unable to make contact.

The payment for any new individual registrations (ITR's) will be £1.50 per fully completed form.

Rolling Registration canvass (ITR's), payment is £1.50 per fully completed form (any method) and 20p for forms not returned. 

Rounds will also have a mileage payment associated with the size of the area that is to be covered.

When will you be paid?

Payment will be made via the payroll system at the following month after the completion of each stage.

If you are not employed by Stockton Borough Council, you will be required to supply bank details and other information in order for payment to be made. Right to work checks will also need to be completed prior to work being carried out for any non-Stockton Borough Council employees.

Payments will be reduced for failure to deliver your round, or your round is not completed to the satisfaction that is required to complete the annual canvass. Any reduction is solely at the discretion of the Electoral Services Manager.

If you intend to use your car to complete this work, as part of the application form you will be required to sign a declaration stating you have a current driving licence, you have the necessary car insurance, the vehicle is taxed and where applicable the vehicle has an MOT certificate.

A vehicle will be required to collect your round(s).

Qualifications

Casual Canvassers should be responsible and conscientious and able to:

• understand and apply detailed instructions
• write neat and accurate records of their visits
• be brief, courteous and have the ability to exercise tact, discretion and patience
• be physically capable of undertaking the full duties of the role (for example walking and climbing of steps, which will be necessary)

Are you interested? 

If you are interested, contact the Electoral Services team. If successful, we will contact you (our preferred method of contact is email).