Agenda item

As a consequence of the recent boundary review of the wards of Waverley Borough Council and the Community Governance Review of the Towns and Parishes within the Borough, it is necessary for the Council to review the polling districts and location of polling places to make sure they are in the right areas for the new boundaries.

The purpose of this report is to agree the outcome of the Polling District and Polling Places Review. The new polling districts and polling places will be used for elections from May 2023 onwards.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Standards and General Purposes Committee endorses the proposed polling district and polling places and recommends that they are approved by Council.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer introduced the report on the Polling District and Polling Place review as the Elections Manager was unable to attend the meeting.

The review of Polling Districts and Polling Places had been carried out to ensure that appropriate arrangements were in place for the local elections in May 2023. The review responded to the Local Government Boundary Review of Waverley Borough Council that had resulted in changes to the ward boundaries with effect from the May 2023 elections. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) had published its final recommendations in March 2022 and the Order was made in November 2022.

The Council had also carried out a Community Governance Review (CGR) of the electoral arrangements for all towns and parishes within the Borough. The CGR recommendations had been agreed at Council in July 2022, but consent of the LGBCE was needed to make the recommended changes to boundaries and warding arrangements for town and parish councils. This consent was still outstanding, as a result of which two options were presented for the new Polling District and Polling Places to show the arrangements with and without consent being received.

Cllrs Maxine Gale and Christine Baker raised concerns about the polling station in Witley being at the Chichester Hall rather than Chandlers School, which had been raised with them by local residents. The School was located centrally in Witley village and was accessible on foot by many residents, whereas the Chichester Hall was on edge of the village and not so easy to reach on foot. The Councillors noted that there were other schools being used as polling stations within the borough, and they asked for an explanation as to why the Chandler School could not be used.

Other members of the Committee advised that they understood that use of schools as polling places was avoided wherever there was an acceptable alternative in order to avoid the disruption to the schools, children and parents. There were also safeguarding issues that meant it usually was not possible to keep schools open whilst a polling station was operating.

Cllrs Gale and Baker thanked officers and councillors for their explanations, but asked if the Elections Manager could confirm why the polling place in Witley had been moved from the Chandler School to the Chichester Hall (See the Secretary’s note, below).

Whilst noting councillors’ reservations regarding the recommended polling place for Witley, the Committee RESOLVED to recommend to Council that the proposed Polling District and Polling Places be approved by Council.

Secretary’s note: following the meeting, the Elections Manager provided the Committee members with the following explanation:

“We receive a number of comments about using schools as polling stations and, to reduce disruption to children’s education,  aim to use an alternative venue if an appropriate one is identified.  

The report recommends the following schools as polling stations, and I’ve added the reasons why they have been put forward:

-          Folly Hill Infant School – there is no other suitable alternative within the polling district. The Electoral Commission’s guidance states that the polling place must be within the polling district unless there is no suitable venue available. As this is a suitable venue, it is recommended to be used.

-          Park Mead Primary School- this school remains open on polling days

-          Armoury Building, Charterhouse School- this school remains open on polling days

-          St Peter’s Church of England Primary School- this school remains open on polling days

The Chichester Hall was first used as a polling station in Witley in 2016. The report to the Executive on 1 December 2015 stated that:

Prior to the elections this year a complaint was received from a parent of children at Chandler School regarding its continued use as a polling station. After the elections Jeremy Hunt MP requested that alternatives to the School be identified following receipt of a complaint from a Governor at the School. The Returning Officer and his staff recognise the disruption that can be caused to schools, children and parents when a school is used as a polling station.

The Chichester Hall in Witley has been visited and assessed as a suitable venue. The large hall could accommodate a double polling station, there is level access into the building, good off-road parking provision with security lighting and good facilities for polling station staff. A-frame signs could be placed next to the road to indicate parking at the hall would be for voters only. Parking is reserved on site in this way for people attending other events at the hall. The booking clerk advised that local people and those travelling from further away to walk in the area are used to parking on the grass verge outside the site as necessary.

We have not received any complaints or concerns from voters about the Chichester Hall as a polling station at elections or during the polling district reviews since it has been used.”