Polling district and polling place review 2023

At least once every five years, Council is required to review all the polling districts and polling places in the borough-area. This is to make sure that all electors continue to have access to reasonable facilities for voting.  

The review looked at the scheme of polling districts and polling places, which must be agreed by Council. 

A polling district is a geographical area set for the purposes of an election only. All voters who live in the same polling district go to the same polling place to vote, which should be located within the border where possible. 

A polling place is the whole building or area where your polling station is located and where you go to vote. There may be more than one polling station inside the polling place depending on how many voters need to vote there. 

The review could not make changes to the boundaries of parishes, borough wards or parliamentary constituencies. 

How was the review conducted? 

The review began with the publication of a notice of review. The (Acting) Returning Officers for each parliamentary constituency in the area then published their comments on the existing schemes of polling districts and polling places, as well as any initial recommendations for change. 

These recommendations were drawn up using feedback and experiences from previous elections, as well as the following requirements: 

• All electors should have access to reasonable facilities for voting, taking the individual circumstances of the area into consideration
• Every polling place should be accessible to electors who are disabled, so far as is reasonable and practicable
• Each parish (or parish ward) must be wholly situated in a polling district (or more if required) with no part of any other area within the boundary. This is called being coterminous
• Each polling place should be within the boundary of the polling district, unless in special circumstances. For example, there is no suitable building or area within the boundary
• Each polling place should be specific enough that it is clear to voters in the polling district how they will be able to reach it

Where possible, the recommendations also aimed to ensure that:

• No more than 2250 voters are allocated to one polling station without other mitigations in place (such as increased staff present)
• Using schools is avoided
• Using temporary polling stations (such as Portakabins) is avoided 

A public consultation on the recommendations was held from 9 October until 6 November 2023 so that members of the public and other stakeholders could give their feedback. 

All responses received were considered and used to draw up final recommendations. Some alternative suggestions that were made during the consultation were investigated and put forward as new recommendations.

The final recommendations were put to Council on 28 November 2023 and approved for publication in the revised electoral register on 1 December 2023. 

You can find a list of the polling districts and polling places that were approved. 

When is the next review?

The Council must complete another review of polling places and polling districts between 1 October 2028 and 31 January 2030. However, an interim review covering any part of the borough area can take place at any time. If a review is due to go ahead, notice must be given. You can look out for this by visiting current consultation

You can give feedback about your polling station experiences at any time. Any comments we receive will be considered and taken forward at the next review. You can submit feedback online or contact Electoral Services using the details at the bottom of this page. 

More information

• Information and guidance on polling place reviews (electoralcommission.org.uk), including how to appeal a review

Last updated: 29/11/2023 14:55