LETTERS sent to residents who have not responded to a request to check their electoral registration details are costing the council in the region of £8,500.

Around 20,000 reminders are being sent to residents who have not responded to a letter asking them to check whether their electoral registration information is correct.

Wyre Forest District Council sent the original forms at the end of July and asked residents to confirm or change their details, as part of the council’s annual voter registration canvass.

The council is required to issue reminder letters if households have not replied within two weeks of sending out the forms – which residents must respond to by law.

Ian Miller, Electoral Registration Officer at Wyre Forest District Council, said: "Thank you to everyone who has replied to the original letter.

"We sent out 46,451 forms to households and we’ve had in the region of 26,000 (56 %) returned.

"Responding as soon as possible really helps us to keep costs down and is a saving to tax payers.

"If you missed the original form, please respond to the reminder, and if your details haven’t changed please let us know online.

"If people don’t respond this time, we are required by law to send out a further reminder, and if we still do not get a reply we have to send officers out to knock on doors.

"This is a costly exercise and could be avoided if people were kind enough to respond sooner."

The canvass, which ensures that the electoral register is up to date, also identifies any residents who are not registered so that they can be encouraged to register.

Anyone who is not currently registered will be sent information explaining how to do this or they can simply go online to apply to register at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote .

Residents whose details have not changed can confirm the information online, by text or telephone.

For information, visit wyreforestdc.gov.uk/electoralregister.