Lessons of Sheffield poll fiasco 'will be learned'

A review was commissioned by the authority's chief executive and returning officer John Mothersole after the scandal, which led to severe local and national criticism.

The spotlight turned on Sheffield after residents claimed they had been denied the right to vote after waiting in queues outside busy polling stations for many hours.

There was also an accusation from the city's student population that they were discriminated against by polling station staff said to have separated them from other voters who were allowed in while they had to wait outside, a charge the council has emphatically denied.

Last night, Mr Mothersole who paid back the 20,000 fee he received for overseeing the vote, revealed a report containing 11 recommendations for improvement.

"We want to be honest and contrite, but we also want to be part of the solution," he said. "We have had to learn in the hardest way possible, in the full glare of publicity.

"It might have been a one-off but we are not prepared to accept it as a one-off. We have left nothing out of this review, and our main message is sorry, but never again."

The 17-page document says staff faced a larger than average turnout, with some polling stations seeing a 200 per cent increase in voters.

Three of the five polling stations affected were in Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's Hallam constituency with the other two in Heeley, and Penistone and Stocksbridge.

Mr Mothersole said four of the 11 recommendations had already been implemented and pledged everything would be done to avoid a repeat of what happened in May.

He added: "Other areas of the country suffered similar problems but we have always wanted to be open and honest and not take comfort from what happened elsewhere.

"For future elections we will operate on the demand we experienced in 2010, that will be the new 'normal' for general elections. We will also train staff to an enhanced level for local elections.

"The fact that there are queues will be used as a warning sign in future, rather than being considered as something we will be able to smooth out during the day."

Mr Mothersole said a copy of the review had been sent to Mr Clegg but no response had yet been received from his office to the council's findings.

He added: "On the night, Nick Clegg said it should never happen again, and by the time that he made that statement we had already agreed with him on that."