Voter registration in Tower Hamlets is amongst the lowest in London

Voter registration figures for Tower Hamlets are some of the worst in London, new research has shown.

Only an estimated 42 per cent of the eligible residents of Spitalfields and Banglatown ward are included on the voter roll, according to figures released by London First and Democracy Club.

The UK average is estimated by the Electoral Commission to be approximately 85 per cent.

The research raises concerns about the borough’s readiness for the upcoming European Union referendum on 23 June.

In ten Tower Hamlets wards, fewer than 80 per cent of those eligible to vote are on the electoral roll, the research showed.

The figure for Millwall is 63 per cent, Blackwall and Cubitt Town 64 per cent and Whitechapel 69 per cent.

Electoral registration is mandatory in the UK for those eligible. Those who fail to register can be charged a fine of £80.

Under the new system of Individual Electoral Registration introduced last year, it is up to each resident to ensure they are properly registered to vote.

The deadline for people to register to vote in the European Union referendum is 7 June.

UK citizens are eligible to vote in the referendum, as are resident Irish and the citizens of Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

To check your registration details, obtain a postal ballot, or find out where your polling station is, contact: vote@towerhamlets.gov.uk, tel.: 020 7364 5012, 020 7364 0872, 5 Clove Crescent, E14 2BG.

Alternatively, visit: www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/council_and_democracy/elections__voting/election_2016/Election_2016.aspx or www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

Or use the handy polling station finder at: www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/council_and_democracy/elections__voting/election_2016/polling_station_finder.aspx.