Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Wiltshire has received over £170,000 of Government funds.

The money is to pay for a change in the way voters register for elections.

The money has been granted to local authorities across the country to help with the extra costs involved in switching to Individual Electoral Registration, which is believed will make the Electoral Register more accurate and secure.

The county has received £171,977 ahead of the 2014 changeover, which will require individual voters to be registered, rather than entire households.

The Government expects most people will be automatically transferred to the new system thanks to ‘data matching’, where the current electoral register will be matched against other public databases. The rest will receive a letter and a visit from local authorities during the 2014 canvass.