Part 1 - Open to the Public ITEM NO
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Part 1 - Open to the Public ITEM NO. REPORT OF Returning Officer TO Full Council ON 20 November 2019. TITLE: Outcome of the compulsory review of polling districts and polling places 2019 RECOMMENDATIONS: Members of the Electoral Matters Committee: 1. Recommend to Council the changes to polling districts and polling stations as detailed in the report be adopted. 2. Recommend to the Council that the Chief Executive is requested to publish such notices and other documentation required by law on completion of the review. 3. It should be noted that as a Parliamentary General Election is taking place on the 12 December 2019, the electoral register will need to be published on the existing scheme. This is to ensure that polling station information contained on poll cards remains accurate for Election Day. The electoral register will then need to be re-published on 1 January or 1 February 2020, to reflect the new scheme. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: As required by the Electoral Administration and Registration Act 2013, compulsory reviews of parliamentary polling districts and polling places must take place every 5 years, reflecting the Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011. The Council undertook its last compulsory review, which was combined with a review of local election arrangements, in 2013 coming into effect in April 2014. The Council was therefore required to undertake the next compulsory review within the 16 month period beginning on 1 October 2018 and concluding by 31 January 2020. 1 This was subject to approval by the Electoral Matters Committee (a non-executive committee of the council which has the relevant delegations under Salford’s constitution). It is necessary that this review takes into account the changes to some of the city’s ward boundaries, following the conclusion of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s (LGBCE) Electoral Review of Salford. BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS: Representation of the People Act 1983; The Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places (Parliamentary Elections) Regulations 2006; The Electoral Administration and Registration Act 2013; Report to Electoral Matters Committee 20 August 2019; Summary of representations received. KEY DECISION: YES / NO DETAILS: 1. Introduction 1.1 As required by the Electoral Administration and Registration Act 2013, compulsory reviews of parliamentary polling districts and polling places must take place every 5 years, reflecting the Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011. 1.2 The Council undertook its last compulsory review, which was combined with a review of local election arrangements, in 2013 coming into effect in April 2014. The Council was therefore required to undertake the next compulsory review within the 16 month period beginning on 1 October 2018 and concluding by 31 January 2020. 1.3 It is necessary that this review takes into account the changes to some of the city’s ward boundaries, following the conclusion of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s (LGBCE) Electoral Review of Salford. 1.4 At the Electoral Matters Committee on 20 August 2019, the Committee authorised the initiation of a statutory review of the city’s parliamentary polling districts and polling places, to be combined with a review of local government polling districts. The formal review process started on 21 August 2019 and finished on the 27 September 2019. 2 2. Glossary of Terms A polling district is defined as a geographical area created by the sub-division of a constituency or ward into smaller parts. A polling place is a designated area (e.g.: a designated building) for a polling district into which polling stations are located. A polling station is the room or area within a polling place where voting is conducted. 3. Requirements of the Review In conducting the compulsory review, local authorities must:- Publish notice of the holding of the review; Consult the (Acting) Returning Officer in a constituency which is wholly or partly in its area; Seek representations from the (Acting) Returning Officer to include information as to the location of polling stations within polling places; Publish the (Acting) Returning Officer’s representations within 30 calendar days of receipt; Seek representations from persons that have expertise in relation to access to premises or facilities for persons who have different forms of disability; Seek representations from electors in a constituency wholly or partly in the authority’s area; Encourage representations to be made regarding proposals for alternative polling places; Publish the results of the review, giving reasons for its decisions. 4. Current practice: Polling Places 4.1 The (Acting) Returning Officer adopts a practice where, following each election, any issues in respect of the suitability of a polling place or a polling station is immediately addressed to ascertain whether there is a need to seek alternative accommodation. Polling places are therefore regularly reviewed and updated which reduces the number of issues that need to be addressed in the statutory polling place reviews. 4.2 In addition, the disabled access in respect of any polling place is assessed at each election by the completion of an access checklist by each Polling Station 3 Inspector; with any necessary actions being taken. This reduces the number of issues that need to be addressed in the statutory polling place review. The last two full elections took place on 2nd May 2019 (local election) and on the 23rd May 2019 (European Parliamentary Election). 4.3 On occasion, it may be necessary to change the designation of a polling place outside the statutory review process or meeting of the Electoral Matters Committee. This usually occurs as a result of premises being closed or unexpectedly becoming unavailable, often at short notice, or if an unscheduled or early poll takes place. Authority is delegated to the Chief Executive to make, where necessary, alterations to the designation of any polling place in such circumstances. 5. Aims of the review 5.1 In conducting a statutory review the Council must, when designating polling districts, seek to ensure that all electors have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances. 5.2 In designating polling places the Council has an obligation that it will: (a) seek to ensure that all the electors in the constituency have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances; (b) seek to ensure that so far as is reasonable and practicable, the polling places it is responsible for are accessible to all electors who are disabled; (c) have regard to the accessibility of disabled persons to potential polling stations in the polling place; (d) other than in special circumstances, locate the polling place in the polling district it serves; and (e) ensure the polling place is small enough to indicate to electors in different parts of the polling district how they will be able to reach the polling station. 5.3 The focus of the review was to identify wherever possible, polling places/polling stations (included temporary polling stations) which met set criteria relating to the location, facilities, accessibility, health and safety and space. 5.4 Whilst ideally the Council would have the choice of a range of fully accessible buildings, conveniently located for the electors in the area, this is not always the case and there may be little choice available. Where it is not possible to identify polling stations which meet the specification exactly, particularly around accessibility, every reasonable adjustment will be undertaken to provide access for all electors. 5.5 One of the key considerations taken into account during this review process was future plans for development activity across the city. Officers have collated information from a variety of sources using the Council’s wider knowledge and intelligence in relation to demographics, residential planning and development to understand the future volume and distribution of electors. This is particularly relevant 4 to wards in the city centre and its fringes where the greatest levels of new residential development are taking place. 6. The Review Process and timetable. 6.1 The stages of the review are set out in the timetable below: Date Activity 17 July 2019 and 20 August 2019 Meeting of Electoral Matters Committee. Stage 1 – formal notification of the Review 23 July Formal notification of the Review published on the web and notices displayed in various public buildings in the city. Stage 2: Start of the Consultation period 24 July 2019 Start of the consultation. 19 August .2019 Publication of the (Acting) Returning Officer’s representations. 27 September 2019 Consultation ends. Stage 3 – Concluding the Review 30 October 2019 Special meeting of Electoral Matters Committee to consider and approve the proposals. 20 November 2019 Recommendations to Full Council from the Electoral Matters Committee. 1 December 2019 (Acting) ERO to publish Electoral Register. Please note - as a Parliamentary General Election is taking place in December, the electoral register will need to be published on the existing scheme. The register will then need to be re- published to reflect the new scheme on either 1 January 2020 or 1 February 2020 depending on relevant circumstances. 6.2 Officers in the Electoral Services Unit on behalf of the (Acting) Returning Officer actively monitor the effectiveness of the current polling station arrangements for 5 electors, taking into account the number of electors and turnout at different polls. As part of this process, a record had been kept of any comments received from stakeholders, including previous representations made by elected representatives, officers and premises, for consideration once the review was formally underway. 6.3 On the 23rd May 2019 (European Parliamentary Election) Presiding Officers at each of the polling station completed a questionnaire to assess the suitability of existing arrangements. This intelligence assisted in developing the (Acting) Returning Officer’s representations. The questionnaires are available for viewing upon request.