Feedback from Without Ward

Acting Deputy As Deputy (Acting) Returning Officer for the Bracknell Forest Parliamentary Constituency the polling places and polling stations Returning Officer for included in the review are only used by myself and my staff during the execution of UK Parliamentary elections. Bracknell Forest Constituency Since the conclusion of the last polling review undertaken in 2014 we have used these venues for the UK Parliamentary elections held in May 2015 and again in June 2017.

On each occasion we have had no issues with any location and have been duly advised of any logistical considerations by the Returning Officer for Wokingham Borough and their staff and have no further comments to make. Eric Davies I have read the review documents and have no concerns about the access to the Oaklands School which is used for the Wokingham (Registered Elector) Without Ward, Borough, Police Commissioners, General and EEC elections, other than the parking for disabled people. The staffing has always been adequate and helpful to me as a VIP. As I live in Parish (Finch South) for Parish elections I seem to remember that on occasions I have voted at Finchampstead Memorial Hall without transport it would be impossible to physically vote there without transport. 3 Ward Members for For those unfamiliar with the ward, Wokingham Without is shaped like a rectangle placed on end, bounded to the west by Lower Wokingham Without Wokingham Road, to the north by the Wokingham – Bracknell railway line, to the east by Old Wokingham Road and to the south by the line of Devil’s Highway running about 100m north of, and roughly parallel to, Dukes Ride. The ward contains all of Wokingham Without Parish (polling district XWB with an electorate of about 5,500) and, since the boundary changes implemented in 2004, part of Finchampstead Parish (polling district FCB with an electorate of about 850) giving a total electorate of some 6,350. Nine Mile Ride crosses the ward almost exactly one third up the ward. The southern third is predominantly built up containing over 3100 of our 3250 houses or over 95% of our electorate. The northern and larger part is currently comparatively rural and has less than 5% of our electorate. We realise that it unusual for a ward the size of Wokingham Without to have only one polling station. However, from these figures it can be seen that the polling station should be south of Nine Mile Ride.

Points that we have taken into account.

 Access. Polling stations should be convenient for the mass of population within the ward and within polling districts. In line with the Borough’s Transport Plan we should have polling stations in positions where it is possible for the maximum number of people to walk so reducing carbon emissions. It would be perverse if any change to the location of our polling station(s) were to increase car journeys. The location should be convenient for the majority of the population to encourage turnout.  Turnout. When considering the location of polling stations, any change must be able to cope with an 80% turnout in elections or in a referendum.  Road Safety. Any change to a polling station should result in nil detriment with regard to road safety. Therefore we are looking at parking, both on road and at the polling station, footpaths, street lighting, speed limits and traffic levels so that any change does not create additional risk.  Change. Were we to change, we should try to do it once.  Postal Votes. The number of electors choosing to vote by post has steadily increased and we had some 1,200 postal voters this year or more than 1 in 6. The increase in the number of postal voters has allowed the number of polling desks to be reduced from 4 to 3 in recent years.

Alternative Locations. We continue to consider all alternative sites for polling stations within or near the ward but there are few possible sites. We have not asked about their availability for use. These are:

 Other Schools. Although they are not considered further (little point in closing another school) we have Hatch Ride Primary and St Sebastian’s CofE Primary within the ward. There are also the private schools of Ludgrove, Holme Grange and Our Lady’s. They all have halls of suitable size.  Pinewood Hall. The Pinewood Hall is located on the northern edge of the Pinewood Centre with access off Old Wokingham Road (which is in Bracknell Forest) and lies about 350m north of Nine Mile Ride. There are precisely 5 houses within a 350m radius. There is ample parking although the Pinewood Centre gets particularly busy in evenings coinciding with our peak voting time so there could be parking problems then. Old Wokingham Road is a 40 mph zone at the Pinewood entrance. There is no street lighting on Old Wokingham Road and, in early May, dusk is just after 9pm. This stretch of Old Wokingham Road has become significantly busier following the opening of the Jennett’s Park link road and will get busier still with the housing in Buckler’s Park (the former TRL site). Electoral traffic turning right to go back into would be turning across the traffic. We consider that the Pinewood Hall is unsuitable because it is not central to any part of the ward, it is relatively remote compared to our present polling station with only 5 houses within 350m, a greater number of our electorate would have to drive there and from the road safety viewpoint there is a higher risk.  The St Sebastian’s Hall. The St Sebastian’s Hall is located on the north side of Nine Mile Ride to the east of Honey Hill at the junction. There are about 20 parking spots in the car park. There is no street lighting along Nine Mile Ride to the east although there is lighting around the junctions with New Wokingham Road and Honey Hill. The entrance and exits to the hall are unsuited to election traffic with Nine Mile Ride being particularly busy in the mornings and early evenings. Although the hall is a potential location, parking is inadequate, road access is not ideal and it would increase the road safety risk. The location is also more remote from the epicentre of our electorate than Oaklands Junior School,  The St Sebastian’s Sports Hall. The Sports Hall is a small hall at the north end of St Sebastian’s Close which lies to the north of Nine Mile Ride about 1000m west of New Wokingham Road. It has its own small car park but is remote from the bulk of our electorate and the access from Nine Mile Ride during morning and evening traffic is poor and would increase the road safety risk.

And that is it. Which brings us back to Oaklands Junior School. The Oaklands Schools.

 The Oaklands Schools lie west of Butler Road to the north of the housing along Ellis Road. From south to north within the site are the Acorns Pre-School, the Infants School and then the Junior School with the school hall currently used as the polling station. There are 2 access routes: a pedestrian access from Ellis Road leading to the Pre-School and the Infant School and a vehicular and pedestrian access from Butler Road which is the sole access used on polling days.  We realise the inconvenience to working parents of school closures used as a polling station. This problem is particularly acute in May when bank holidays conspire to give 4 day school weeks.  We consider that the schools could do more to mitigate the effects of closures for elections such as having a training or Inset day to coincide with the election which only affects the Butler Road entrance and the Junior School. However we respect the view of the Head Teachers and Governors that safeguarding issues preclude this.

In Conclusion. We consider that the continued use of Oaklands Junior School is necessary as the polling station for the Wokingham Without ward.

The Future. We are aware that electorate growth in Wokingham Borough is likely to require a ward boundary review within the next 2 years which would be carried out by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England which is likely to recommend significant change in Borough ward boundaries. As a consequence of ward boundary changes polling districts and polling stations will then require review. Wokingham Without will be affected, not least by the planned build of some 1,850 homes in the northern part of the ward with a planning application for that expected in early 2019. We understand that a community centre will form part of the development which could then be the location for a polling station with the northern part of the current ward being designated a separate polling district.

Parish Clerk I am writing to confirm that Wokingham Without Parish Council endorses the views of our three borough members (Borough Councillors Helliar-Smyons, Ross and Sleight) regarding the review of polling stations for the ward of Wokingham Without (attached).

Whilst it is regrettable to be required to close a local school when an election is run, the current site, at Oaklands Junior School, still remains the best option we have at present, within the parish.

Kristina Brownhill Having seen people (walking into the site) nearly hit as two cars try and squeeze up the single entry to Oaklands school, and being (Registered Elector) affected as a working parent Oaklands school is no longer fit for being used as a Polling Station. I realise that public buildings in the area are difficult to find, but feel that a better option must be found. The whole educational site is inappropriate to close for one day. It has single lane access for cars and on street parking is limited during school hours. The narrow access way is not safe for drivers. I would like other premises considered - Hatch Ride school is in the same polling area, less children would be affected or alternate between schools? A better choice would be Pinewood Activities Centre. It has plenty of parking, better access and buildings that could be to be used too. Graham Elliott In this day-and-age you should not need to close a school down. You are very quick to remind us that every school day is import, (Registered Elector) surely you can find somewhere else Karen Carter There is also crazy parking and only a single lane in and out of the school. We are parents of two children at Oaklands Junior School (Registered Elector) and are thoroghly fed up with the loss of their education every time the school site is closed for an election. We have had at least one election every year througout the 6 years that they have been at the schools. Every election disrupts the education of at least two hundred children. If we want to take the children out of the school we run the risk of getting fined, why is it ok for their education to be disrupted for these purposes. Mrs L Griffin (Registered Happy with the current policy station in Crowthorne being at Oaklands Junior School. It is nice for the children to get a day off while Elector) the school is closed for elections and nice for us too to have a day off with them. I think the current polling venue is a good central point for people at the school. Happy for it to remain as it is.

Current Arrangements

Polling District Current Polling Station Electorate Estimated Electorate in 2022

FCB Oaklands Junior School 819 819 Wokingham Without XWB Oaklands Junior School 5464 5930 Wokingham Without

Possible Alternatives Assessment Findings Pinewood Further away from majority of voters. Temporary traffic measures would be needed to allow for easy exit from the complex. Would not be possible to have a dedicated space and therefore could be located in a different position within the campus at every election which is not advisable. St Sebastian’s Church Hall Given that there are a minimum of 12 staff working at this polling place and only 20 parking spaces, with over 5,000 people allocated to vote at the stations in person, parking at this venue is totally inadequate, especially as this is not central to voters and most would drive. The surrounding roads have no street lighting and are very busy in peak periods, which would be a potential risk. East Golf Club Actually outside of the Borough Boundary.

St Sebastian’s Sports Hall Not central to the majority of voters and is too small for the number of polling stations required.

Hatch Ride Primary School 200 pupils, so no smaller to Oaklands.

St Sebastian’s C of E School 150 Pupils, but a much smaller building, which would not be big enough for the number of allocated voters.

Private Schools We have no “right” to book private schools and therefore are unable to secure such premises.

Temporary Polling Place in Tents and Mobile units are not ideal temporary polling places as they are not particularly accessible to disabled voters and the Bigshotte Park associated costs would be extensive.

Officer Comments

There have been several alternatives identified, most of which have been considered at the previous reviews. All options have been ruled out because for one reason or another, they are considered to be unsuitable. These arguments still stand. Provision of temporary polling places are expensive, but can be provided as a last resort, but only where there are no other suitable alternatives.

Whilst appreciating the frustration of the parents at Oaklands School, the suggestion to alternate polling facilities between different schools, is not advisable as it would be very confusing to the vast majority of voters. Over the last couple of years we have provided all schools with details of the date of elections over 12 months in advance. This is in an effort to set the date as an inset day, to minimise disruption to both the school and the children and their parents.

As a general rule, the date of Local Elections can be based on being the 1st Thursday in May and can therefore be calculated well in advance. We can therefore predict with some accuracy the date of such elections for a number of years to come. However, National Elections are not so easy to predict so we are therefore sometimes unable to give a suitable advance warning, but luckily these don’t end to happen that often.

Oaklands is large enough to cope with the allocated electorate and is central to the majority of voters. I believe that this offers the best solution at the present time.