Agenda item

The Chief Executive presented his report and gave a PowerPoint presentation on the work undertaken on reviewing the Polling Districts and Polling Places used for elections within the Borough.  Maps of Abington and Phippsville Wards were displayed to indicate the types of issues which could be considered as part of the review.  Council at its meeting on 8 June 2015 had resolved that in the next review equal access should be ensured to all using polling stations, including those without cars and with restricted mobility.  The Committee’s guidance was requested on consultation with the public as part of the review.

The Committee would receive a report to its meeting on 6 October 2015 detailing the consultation response and a submission by the Returning Officer with regard to future polling arrangements.  There would be recommendations to form the basis of consultation before the Committee takes a decision at its meeting on 17 November 2015.  It was intended to publish the final decision by 1 December 2015, which would be the publication of the first Electoral Register following the 2015 Canvass of Electors.

In answer to members’ questions and comments the Chief Executive responded as summarised below:

·         Alternatives would be considered where any polling places/stations could not be made accessible to all users.

·         Some wards had anomalies as a result of boundary reviews undertaken by the Council, County Council and the Boundary Commission using different bases.  The review would seek to resolve such issues.

·         There would be a boundary review after the new Electoral Register was published on 1 December 2015.

·         The cost of running a polling station on an election day had variables, including hire and staffing costs and any additional equipment which might be required, but was approximately £1,000-£1,500 per station.

·         Schools could be required to provide a polling place but the Returning Officer was aware there were costs to the school in doing so, such as caretaking on election day, and that schools had safeguarding concerns to consider.

·         Some local authorities had experimented with alternatives to traditional forms of voting, including electronic media, but there were still concerns regarding safety and security to be considered.  The previous Parliament had established a commission to look into ways the current system might be changed.

·         It was important for members to seek their constituents’ views, and offer local knowledge, particularly where any issues had been raised.  For example, a very large polling district had been created in Talavera ward which had led to complaints in 2015 that this caused access issues.  This had been flagged up for consideration in this review.

·         Members could usefully direct their constituents to information on the review and a brief questionnaire which were on the Council’s website.  A copy of the information and questionnaire was circulated at the meeting.

·         The Household Enquiry Form, which required details of persons living in properties, had a prescribed form of wording which did not leave space for the details of the review to be included on it.  The Individual Electoral Registration Form had greater space available and some information about the review would be included on that form.

Members offered the following comments for consideration:

·         The possibility of requiring supermarkets to make a room available as a polling place if no suitable alternative was available;

·         The use of housing policies to allow empty properties to be used as polling places;

·         To potentially use Housing Officers to identify areas for polling places;

·         To potentially use Neighbourhood Wardens to identify issues regarding  polling places;

·         That the Borough was one of the fastest growing areas in the country and as a result of this fast growth many new residents were not aware of the ward they lived in;

·         That Individual Electoral Registration information material could be given to members for passing to constituents.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Electoral Commission’s guidance on the conduct of reviews of Polling Districts and Polling Places and the respective responsibilities of the Council and of the Electoral Registration Officer and Local Returning Officers be noted.

2.    That the work done to date on the current review and the plans to complete the review in good time for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in May 2016 be noted.

3.    That the comments in the preamble above be considered bearing in mind the Commission’s guidance.