Essential Reference Paper B Polling Places by Ward East Herts Council (Acting) Returning Officer Explanatory Notes: Electorate totals as at 1 December 2018 Predicted electorate from Planning based on the District Plan site allocations with or without planning permission – homes to be built by 2023/4 prior to the next Polling Place Review. Polling Scheme by Wards Ward: Bishop’s Stortford – All Saints PD Ref Polling Place Name/Address Current Electorate Predicted house building CD All Saints JMI School, Parsonage Lane, 2,910 Bishop’s Stortford CM23 5BE – Move to Parsonage Community Centre (CC) CE All Saints Vestry, Stanstead Road, 848 Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2DY CF Thorn Grove Primary School, Thorn 2,238 Grove, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 5LD Total 5,996 50 Proposed Changes: CD - Proposal is to send voters to nearby polling place of the Parsonage Community Centre (polling District CC) – large hall who can accommodate these additional voters plus sufficient parking places. The Parsonage already has CC electors’ one side of the hall and CD would be on the other side – this would be a double polling station due to the electorate size and being a different ward. The proposal will be trialled at the local elections in May 2019 and further feedback will be taken in to account from the electorate, polling staff, visiting officers and candidates on the day. Comments: CF will always be a double polling station due to its electorate size. We have explored alternative polling provision in the area such as at the hospital but continued use at the school is recommended. Feedback from the May polls 2019 Email from member of the public saying “much better being at the Parsonage Lane Hall for access and egress”. Page 1 of 30 Polling Scheme by Wards Ward: Bishop’s Stortford - Central PD Ref Polling Place Name/Address Current Electorate Predicted house building CG Wesley Hall, Methodist Church, 34B 1,993 South Street, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3AZ CH Havers Community Centre, 1 Knights 2,106 Row, Waytemore Road, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3GR CI Thorley Community Centre, Frieberg 2,280* Avenue, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 4RF CJ Rhodes Arts Complex, South Road, 1,036 Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3JG Total 7,355 600 Proposed Changes: No changes proposed. Comments: The polling allocation will be monitored due to the potential house building over the next 5 years. *Thorley CI polling district has now dropped to 1,831 electors as at 1 March 2019 due to the Community Governance Review changes. Page 2 of 30 Polling Scheme by Wards Ward: Bishop’s Stortford - Meads PD Ref Polling Place Name/Address Current Electorate Predicted house building CA Meeting Rooms, Charringtons House, 2,590 Council Offices, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2EN CC Parsonage Community Hall, 2,045 Parsonage Lane, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 5PY (plus incorporate voters from CD) Total 4,635 1,100 Proposed Changes: Parsonage Community Centre is a large good venue and the proposal is to send voters from the nearby polling district CD who currently vote at All Saint’s JMI School – refer to Page 1. We have ongoing issues with the school and have been looking to move to alternative voting provision and have explored use of the football club and golf club, however neither have been able to accommodate us. A further alternative considered was to move to Grange Paddocks however due to the new development in this area being at the north of the polling district and the current polling station being right at the south of the polling area this is not being pursued at present until any new sports centre is built on the Grange Paddocks site. Comments: CA - Based at the Council Offices. This is a double station. The Meeting room is a suitable size with good facilities. Due to the significant house building predicted within the next 5 years with over 2,000 potential additional electors within this ward we shall be looking to create an additional polling district with a new polling place. This may well be before the next formal review and mini review of this ward would be undertaken. Page 3 of 30 Polling Scheme by Wards Ward: Bishop’s Stortford - Silverleys PD Ref Polling Place Name/Address Current Electorate Predicted house building BC Bishop’s Park Community Centre, 744 Lancaster Way, Bishop’s Park CM23 4DA CB St Mary’s Catholic School, Windhill, 3,425 Bishop’s Stortford CM23 2NQ (Proposal for temporary move electors to Bishop’s Park Community Centre from May 2019) Total 4,169 1,580 Proposed Changes: Current polling provision is at St Mary’s School. We cannot use that venue in May 2019 due to their building works. We have investigated the possibility of using other schools within the area but none have been forthcoming and none of the schools are in ideal locations for our voters. However we may need to re- approach one of the local primary schools as the current solution is not sustainable long term with some 1,000 houses being built in the ward and we would be looking to allocate voters to a new polling district and community centre once built. A step change approach is to move the current boundary lines of polling districts CB and BC . Currently CB surrounds BC polling district creating a doughnut effect. We feel this is not sustainable and propose to move the housing area from Maze Green Road from CB to BC which will equalize the electorate figure within the two current polling districts. The future change would be to then create a new polling district for the new development north of Hadham Road. Comments: CB – proposal for May 2019 to send all electors to Bishop’s Park Community Centre as we book the whole venue for polling and we shall make the polling place a double station and split the electorate over the two separate rooms. Bishop's Park Community Centre offers two rooms. There is modern kitchen. Suitable for disabled and elderly. Wi-Fi available. Access to ground floor via main entrance. Large Car Park. Kitchen accessible by both rooms. The Community Centre, situated next door to Tesco Supermarket which also has ample free parking. Feedback on the suitability of this venue is welcomed during the May 2019 election. Due to the significant house building predicted within the next 5 years with over 3,000 potential additional electors within this ward we shall be looking to create an additional polling district. Page 4 of 30 Polling Scheme by Wards Ward: Bishop’s Stortford - South PD Ref Polling Place Name/Address Current Electorate Predicted house building CK The Bishop’s Stortford High School, 1,784 London Road, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3LU CL Thorley Christian Centre, Vicerons 3,051 Place, Villiers Sur Marne CM23 4EL KD The Bishops Stortford High School, 471 London Road, Bishop`s Stortford CM23 3LU LC St Michael’s Mead Community Centre, 1,208* Turners Crescent, St Michael’s Mead, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 4FZ Total 6,514 450 Proposed Changes: No changes proposed at the current time but will need to be monitored with the additional house building which may require re-investigating at the next polling review. Comments: Two polling districts vote at the same place (CK and KD – Thorley Rural). CL/LC - Thorley Christian Centre will be a double station for all elections. DK – Thorley Rural also votes at the same polling place (Bishop’s Stortford High School) – comes under Much Hadham District ward (see page 19). *1,911 as at 1 March 2019 due to the Community Governance Review. Page 5 of 30 Polling Scheme by Wards Ward: Braughing PD Ref Polling Place Name/Address Current Electorate Predicted house building CS Anstey Village Hall, Buntingford SG9 266 0BY CV Old Boys School, Church End, 1,046 Braughing SG11 2QA CW Brent Pelham Village Hall, Near 159 Buntingford SG9 0HE DD Church Room, St Nicholas Church, 591 Horseshoe Lane, Great Hormead SG9 0NH Propose to use the Village Hall from 2020 (see comments below) DF Meesdon Village Hall, Buntingford 103 Total 2,165 0 Proposed Changes: No proposed changes. Comments: Insignificant house building to have any effect on polling provision. DD – comments received from polling staff from May polls received from the Chairman of the village Hall about moving back from the church to the village hall for future polls. Comments of the ERO/RO - We had previously used the old village hall. The Church hall is further away from the main settlement; it is the rear of the church which is very dark at night and access difficult if someone was in a wheelchair. We propose to use the new village hall in future which has modern facilities, plenty of parking and is in the centre of the village. Page 6 of 30 Polling Scheme by Wards Ward: Buntingford PD Ref Polling Place Name/Address Current Electorate Predicted house building CX The Countryman Inn, Ermine Street, 223 Chipping, Buntingford SG9 0PG CY The Manor House, 21 High Street, 4,871 Buntingford SG9 9AB DM "Rosemead", Moles Lane, Wyddial, Nr 126 Buntingford SG9 0EX Total 5,220 Proposed Changes: No proposed changes. Comments: CY - The Manor House will always be a double station due to the large electorate. Step and no ramp – to exam providing a ramp DM – Step access in to house. No issues raised at the two polls in May 2019. Page 7 of 30 Polling Scheme by Wards Ward: Datchworth and Aston PD Ref Polling Place Name/Address Current Electorate Predicted house building FW Aston Village Hall, Nr Stevenage SG2 701 7ED GC Datchworth Village Hall, Knebworth 1,240 SG3 6TL Total 1,941 600 Proposed Changes: No proposed changes.