COMMUNITY leaders in Galashiels have slammed the “shambolic” organisation of the Localities Bid Fund.

At last week’s meeting of the town’s community council, members said they struggled to cast their votes online and were not updated on changes to deadlines.

The group hopes to secure £15,000 to “bring a magical Christmas to Galashiels” by upgrading the festive lights and putting on family events.

But community councillor Helen Calder said she was disappointed at the way the process was run.

She told the meeting: “I think the online voting system has been very problematic for a lot of people and has ultimately denied people from voting.

“We only recently discovered that people had to apply for postal votes by Thursday (June 6) which is tomorrow. I just think the whole process has been shambolic.”

Last week, the Border Telegraph also received calls from Selkirk residents saying they had difficulty casting their votes online.

One told us: “We have tried four or five times to get our votes in, but it would just not let us submit them.

“We raised the issue with local councillors and they have told us many people have been in touch saying the same thing.

“I would imagine that it is not just people in Selkirk who have had the same problem. I would guess that it has affected people in all areas of the Borders.”

At Wednesday’s meeting of Galashiels Community Council, Councillor Sandy Aitchison (Ind), SBC’s executive member for localities and neighbourhood services, admitted there had been issues.

He said: “No one is denying there has been difficulties with this process.

“However, the online voting system is not done through a council system. But I managed to do my voting on it and I’m virtually incompetent when it comes to computers.

“I will try and help anyone who has encountered problems and I’m sure any problems will be taken into account.

“Last year we extended the deadline because of the Beast from the East, so people could get their votes to us. There will be a report coming on community funding and we will be looking at ways to improve.

“One of the things I would like to improve is to have a page at the end of the online process that says ‘thank you for voting’.

“Having cast my votes, there was nothing at the end of the process to say they had been accepted.”