"what is the edited list v the electoral list, please?"The electoral register or electoral roll is the list of everyone who is entitled to vote. It was always a public document which anyone could consult, but now that the data is stored electronically it has become a useful tool for direct marketing. Companies wishing to buy a complete register (rather than just consulting a paper copy) have to pay the council for it.In 2002, it was recognised that not everyone would want their name and address used in this way, so from 2003 onwards we've been able to opt out. The edited register is the one that councils make available to other organisations, and it doesn't include the details of anyone who has opted out. I don't know about H&F, but in Hounslow the local libraries only have the edited register, and you have to go to the civic centre in Hounslow to see the full register.While I recognise that identity theft is a risk these days, I don't regard my name and address as a secret, and I'm on the edited register and in the phone book. There are occasions when such information is useful, for example if a letter is wrongly addressed, or something is dropped by accident with the owner's name but no full address.Regarding your son, I'm wondering whether H&F put his name on the edited register before getting confirmation from the household. And is that legal? Seems like a dodgy practce to me.
Richard Jennings ● 5693d