READING BOROUGH COUNCIL
REPORT BY RETURNING OFFICER
TO: COUNCIL
DATE: 29 JANUARY 2008 AGENDA ITEM: 11
TITLE: REVIEW OF POLLING DISTRICTS AND POLLING PLACES
LEAD CLLR LOVELOCK PORTFOLIO: CORPORATE SERVICES COUNCILLOR:
SERVICE: ELECTORAL WARDS: BOROUGH-WIDE ADMINISTRATION
LEAD OFFICER: JOHN PAINTER TEL: 0118 939 0797 / 2797
JOB TITLE: HEAD OF CEMTRAL E-MAIL: [email protected] ADMINISTRATION
1. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY OF REPORT
1.1 Further to Minute 30 of the Council meeting on 16 October 2007, this report confirms the outcome of the review of polling districts and polling places within the Reading East and Reading West parliamentary constituencies within the Borough, undertaken under Section 16 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (the Act). The schedule of polling districts and polling places now in use is attached at Appendix A.
2. RECOMMENDED ACTION
2.1 That the schedule of polling districts and polling places attached at Appendix A be received.
3. POLICY CONTEXT
3.1 The Electoral Administration Act 2006 required local authorities in England to review their polling places and polling districts within their existing parliamentary constituencies, by the end of 2007. The review of polling districts and polling places had to take place within the existing constituency and ward boundaries. The public notice of the review was published on 18 July 2007, with a deadline for responses of 7 September 2007.
3.2 The CCEA Scrutiny Panel, on 11 July 2007, endorsed the establishment of a cross-party working group to support me in undertaking the 2007 review. This was comprised of Councillors Byrne, Green, Hanley, Lovelock, Page, Waite and Willis (or nominees). The Working Party met twice, and at its meeting on 13 September 2007 agreed recommendations which it submitted to full Council on 16 October 2007. Full Council agreed the changes to polling districts and places as summarised below, and authorised me to take the necessary action to implement them.
(1) Sub-divide the Caversham MA polling district, with a new polling station at Caversham Primary School (for new Caversham MC district)
(2) Sub-divide the Redlands RB polling district, with a new polling place for the northern part of the polling district (for new Redlands RC district)
(3) Move the middle numbers along Elgar Road/Tippett Rise/Waterloo Road from Katesgrove BA to Katesgrove B polling district
(4) Move the houses and closes off Hemdean Road from Thames W into Thames WA district, so that all properties off Hemdean Road north of Oakley Road will poll at St Andrew’s Hall, Albert Road and not Highdown School
(5) Move the polling place for Whitley SC polling district from South Reading Youth and Community Centre to Whitley Park Infant School, and the SC polling district to be merged with the Whitley S polling district, polling at Whitley Park Infants’ School, at the time of the next general election
3.3 The resultant schedule of polling districts and places is attached at Appendix A.
4. CONTRIBUTION TO STRATEGIC AIMS
4.1 The electoral registration process, and elections, support the promotion of the participation of Reading people in local democracy.
6. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INFORMATION
5.1 The process followed for publishing the notice and inviting comments was explained in the report to full Council on 16 October 2007.
6. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
6.1 The provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1983 require that every Parliamentary Constituency must be divided into polling districts and that each District Council must divide its area into polling districts for that part of the Constituency within its area. Reading falls within the area of two Parliamentary Constituencies – Reading East and Reading West.
6.2 In exercising its powers, the Council is required to give all electors “such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances”. In addition, in choosing polling places, only places which are accessible to electors who are disabled must be chosen so far as is reasonably and practicable.
6.3 Unless there are special circumstances, the polling place for any polling district should be located in the district itself.
6.4 A polling place is usually the building to which people go to vote and polling stations are the locations within the building at which electors obtain their voting papers.
6.5 The Returning Officer is required to provide a sufficient number of polling stations in each polling place and to allocate electors to the polling stations in such manner as he or she thinks most convenient. Since the 2003 review there has been a significant increase in the number of postal voters, who now make up 11% of the electorate, and 25% of the turnout in last May’s local elections. However, in the local elections in May 2007, the number of voters in person increased by 1,631, from 25,393 to 27,024.
7. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
7.1 The 2007/08 budget for electoral registration is £249k, and the budget for elections is £75k: neither included any provision for this review.
8. BACKGROUND PAPERS
AEA Seminar 2007 – Review of Polling places, Polling Districts and access Arrangements APPENDIX A
READING BOROUGH POLLING PLACES - OCTOBER 2007
WARD POLLING PLACES
ABBEY New Hope Community Church Centre L York Road, Reading RG1 8DU Sir Herman Gollancz Hall LA Clifton Street, Reading RG1 7YE
Wesley Church Hall LB Queens Road/Watlington Street
St. John & St. Stephen Parish Centre LC Orts Road, Reading RG1 3JN
BATTLE Reading Education Centre A Cranbury Road, Reading RG30 2TS
Battle Library AB 420 Oxford Road, Reading, RG30 2ES
Oxford Road Primary School (Canteen) AC 146 Oxford Road, Reading RG1 7PJ
CAVERSHAM New Bridge Nursery School M Montague Street, Caversham, Reading RG4 5AU
Thameside Primary School MA Wolsey Road, Caversham, Reading RG4 8BY
Amersham Road Community Centre MB Amersham Road, Caversham, Reading RG4 5BP
Caversham Primary School MC (new) Hemdean Road, Caversham, Reading RG4 7RA
CHURCH Reading Scout and Guide Joint H.Q. (Large Hall) N 163 Northcourt Avenue, Reading RG2 7HG
The Ridgeway Primary School NA Willow Gardens, Reading RG2 7EL
South Reading Youth & Community Centre NB 252 Northumberland Avenue, Reading RG2 7QA
Christ the King Church Hall NC 408Northumberland Avenue, Reading RG2 8RN
KATESGROVE Katesgrove Primary School B Dorothy Street, Reading RG1 2NL
Christchurch Centre BA Milman Road, Reading RG2 0AY
George Palmer Primary School BB Basingstoke Road, Reading RG2 0EN
KENTWOOD St. Mary Magdalen Hall C Rodway Road, Tilehurst, Reading RG30 6EQ
United Reformed Church Hall CA Polsted Road, Tilehurst, Reading RG31 6HP
Upcroft Primary School Drama Room CB Norcot Road, Tilehurst, Reading RG30 6BS
Norcot Community Centre CC Lyndhurst Road, Tilehurst, Reading RG30 6UB
MAPLEDURHAM Mapledurham Pavilion Y Upper Woodcote Road, Caversham Heights Reading RG4 7LB
MINSTER Coley Primary School D Wolseley Street, Reading RG1 6AZ
All Saints Hall DA Downshire Square, Reading RG1 6NJ
Coley Park Community Centre DB 140 Wensley Road, Coley Park, Reading RG1 6DW
NORCOT St. George's Church Hall E St. George's Road, Reading
St. Michael's Primary School EA Dee Road, Tilehurst, Reading RG30 4AS
Ranikhet Primary School EB Spey Road, Tilehurst, Reading RG3 4ED
PARK New Town Primary School P School Terrace, Reading RG1 3LS
Alfred Sutton Primary School PA 148 Wokingham Road, Reading RG6 1JR
PEPPARD
Emmer Green Youth & Community Centre V Grove Road, Emmer Green, Reading RG4 8LN
Milestone Community Centre VA Northbrook Road, Caversham Park Village Reading RG4 0PF Micklands County Primary School VB Micklands Road Caversham Reading
REDLANDS St. Luke's Hall R Erleigh Road, Reading
Redlands Primary School RA Lydford Road, Reading RG1 5QH
Hexham Community Centre RB 1A Bamburgh Close, Whitley, Reading RG2 7UD
Museum of English Rural Life RC (new) 6 Redlands Road, Reading
SOUTHCOTE Southcote Primary School F Silchester Road, Southcote, Reading RG3 3EJ
Manor Primary School FA 110 Ashampstead Road, Reading RG30 3LJ
Southcote Library Hall Southcote Library, Southcote Lane, FB Reading RG30 3BA
Prospect Technology College (Drama Room) FC Honey End Lane, Tilehurst, Reading RG30 4EL
THAMES Highdown School W Surley Row, Emmer Green, Reading RG4 8LR
St. Andrew's Hall WA Albert Road, Caversham, Reading RG4 7PW
Caversham Primary School WB Hemdean Road, Caversham, Reading RG4 7RA
TILEHURST Moorlands Primary School G Church End Lane, Tilehurst, Reading RG30 4UN
Park Lane Primary School GA School Road, Tilehurst, Reading RG31 5RD Tilehurst Village Hall GB Victoria Road, Tilehurst, Reading RG31 5AB
WHITLEY Whitley Park Infant & Nursery School S Basingstoke Road, Reading RG2 0JA
Geoffrey Field Infant School SA Exbourne Road, Reading RG2 8RH
Whitley Wood Community Centre SB Swallowfield Drive, Reading RG2 8JD
Whitley Park Infant & Nursery School SC (changed) Basingstoke Road, Reading RG2 0JA