Around 50 voters made a dash to pick up new postal voting packs after theirs failed to be delivered.

Growing concerns across the country about the non-arrival of postal votes ahead of the Scottish school holiday period saw the majority of councils, including Falkirk, to implement emergency pick up arrangements.

Falkirk schools finished last Friday lunchtime and many families already had plans in place for travel before the general election was called for July 4.

On Friday afternoon, Falkirk Council announced it was setting up special pick-up arrangements at its Foundry offices in Larbert for Saturday morning.

Postal votes should be sent as early as possible but Royal Mail will have special teams working to identify and prioritise election mail. Pic: File image

placeholder image — Postal votes should be sent as early as possible but Royal Mail will have special teams working to identify and prioritise election mail. Pic: File image

It did say that it expected the final postal voting packs to be delivered by Royal Mail on Friday or Saturday, June 28 and 29.

A Falkirk Council spokesperson said: “There are around 15,500 postal voters in the Falkirk constituency. It isn’t clear how many voters have been affected but there have been approximately 50 replacement postal packs issued since Friday when that became available as an option.

"The biggest impact appears to have been on voters who applied for a postal vote after June 6 which meant that they were included in the second and final issue of postal ballot packs. These were being delivered by the Royal Mail and were in the hands of voters from Friday of last week following some delay at the printers.”

They added that if a postal vote has still not arrived, it is possible to issue a replacement pack.

For voters in Falkirk constituency they should contact the council. Voters in the Alloa and Grangemouth constituency should contact Clackmannanshire Council. Voters in the Bathgate and Linlithgow constituency which covers Bo’ness and Blackness, should contact West Lothian Council. The replacement postal pack can be issued by the Falkirk postal team for Alloa and Grangemouth and Bathgate and Linlithgow voters but only after Clackmannanshire or West Lothian have agreed.

Malcolm Burr, convener of the Electoral Management Board (EMB) for Scotland, has already said there has been “many difficulties” with the delivery of postal votes ahead of this general election – and with around a quarter of people choosing this method of voting it is having a huge impact.

He has called for a "major review of capacity and systems" after the general election, a view endorsed by Kenneth Lawrie, the returning officer for Falkirk constituency.

Standing to be the next Falkirk MP are: Zohaib Arshad, Alba Party; Keith Barrow, Reform UK: James Bundy, Scottish Conservative; Toni Giugliano, SNP; Rachel Kidd, Scottish Greens; Tim McKay, Liberal Democrat; Euan Stainbank, Scottish Labour; and Mark Tunnicliff, Independent.

Alloa and Grangemouth candidates are: Eva Comrie, Independent; Richard Fairley, Reform UK; Tom Flanagan, Workers Party of Britain; Brian Leishaman, Scottish Labour; Kenny MacAskill, Alba Party; Adrian May, Liberal Democrat; John Nicolson, SNP; Rachel Nunn, Scottish Conservative; Nariese Whyte, Scottish Greens.

Candidates in Bathgate and Linlithgow are: Martyn Day, SNP; John Hannah, Independence for Scotland; Simon Jay, Scottish Greens; Stuart McArthur, Independent; Jamie McNamee, Reform UK; Lynn Munro, Scottish Conservative; Sally Pattle, Liberal Democrat; Kirsteen Sullivan, Labour and Co-operative.