Agenda Item No. 5 WEST OXFORDSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL AUDIT AND GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE: THURSDAY 26 JUNE 2014 REVIEW OF PARLIAMENTARY POLLING DISTRICTS AND POLLING PLACES REPORT OF THE HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC SERVICES (Contact: Keith Butler, Tel: (01993) 861521) (The Committee’s decisions on this matter will be resolutions) 1. PURPOSE To update Members on the requirement to conduct a review of the Parliamentary Polling Districts and Polling Places within West Oxfordshire, to put in hand the necessary initial steps, and to note the suggested timetable for the review. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS (a) That the statutorily required review of the Parliamentary Polling Districts and Polling Places within West Oxfordshire be carried out; (b) That, in accordance with the statute, the Acting Returning Officer for the Parliamentary Constituency of Witney be requested to submit his representations on the review, to include information as to the location of polling stations (both existing and proposed) within Polling Places (both existing and proposed); (c) That the information in this report as to the processes and the timetable for the review be noted; and (d) That, for the reasons set out in in paragraph 3.6, consultation responses and representations be considered at a special meeting of the Committee in November 2014, to be arranged following liaison with the Chairman of the Committee and notified to Committee members as soon as possible. 3. BACKGROUND 3.1. Sections 18A and 18B of the Representation of the People Act 1983 require that the Council must (i) divide its area into polling districts for UK Parliamentary elections; (ii) designate a polling place for every polling district; and (iii) keep the polling districts and polling places under review. 3.2. The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 amended the 1983 Act by the amendment of Section 18C to require that Authorities must complete a review within the period of 16 months from 1st October 2013, and undertake and complete subsequent reviews within the period of 16 months beginning on 1st October of every fifth year after that. 3.3. The first part of the review consists of the publication of a Notice of the Review, and requesting the Acting Returning Officer to make representations to the Council, which must include information as to the location of polling stations (both existing and any proposed) within Polling Places (both existing and any proposed). The Council is then required to publish these representations and to invite representations from such persons thought to have particular expertise in relation to access to premises or facilities for persons with varying disabilities. Representations would also be sought Item No. 5, Page 1 of 8 from political parties within the Constituency, the various political groups on the Council and from Town & Parish Councils and Parish Meetings. 3.4. The existing polling districts and polling places are included at Appendix A, for the information of the Committee. 3.5. As stated in paragraph 3.2 above, the review has to be completed within the period of 16 months beginning with 1st October 2013 and the suggested timetable referred to in paragraph 3.6 below and in Appendix B would comply with this and enable any changes to be effective (i) from publication of a revised electoral register on 1 December 2014; and therefore (ii) for the Parliamentary General Election and District and Parish Council Elections scheduled to take place on Thursday 7th May 2015. 3.6. The timetable takes into account the need for an adequate period for consultation and the consideration of responses, which means that a report will not come back to this Committee until after its meeting scheduled for 25 September 2014. In addition, the Electoral Registration Officer is under a statutory duty to publish a revised version of the register no later than 1 December 2014, meaning that it is desirable that the outcome of the review has been agreed prior to that publication date. Accordingly, because the Committee is not scheduled to meet again until 11 December it is my intention to liaise with the Chairman with a view to calling a special meeting during the first half of November, and this is reflected in recommendation (d) above. 4. ALTERNATIVES/OPTIONS 4.1. The review is statutorily required, so there is no option other than to undertake it and to complete the review by the end of January 2015. 4.2. The Committee could choose to vary the timetable as it saw fit, subject to the review being completed within the statutory period. 5. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS The only direct financial implications arising from this matter relate to the necessary publishing/advertisement of the proposals in due course. These are mandatory, and are anticipated to be in the region of £1,000 and will be accommodated within existing budgets. 6. RISKS Failure to carry out a review would be a breach of the Council’s statutory duties. 7. REASONS To comply with the statutory requirement to conduct a review of polling districts and polling places. Keith Butler Head of Democratic Services (Author: Keith Butler, Tel: (01993) 861521; EMail: [email protected]) Date: 16th June 2014 Background Papers: None Item No. 5, Page 2 of 8 Appendix A WITNEY COUNTY CONSTITUENCY Parliamentary Polling Districts and Polling Places Polling District Parishes and other areas within the Polling District Polling Place FA Alvescot Alvescot The Village Hall, The Walk, Alvescot FB Ascott-under- Ascott-under-Wychwood The Tiddy Hall, Shipton Road, Ascott-under- Wychwood Wychwood FC Asthal Asthal The Memorial Hall, Minster Road, Asthall Leigh FD Aston Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney The New Village Hall, Cote Road, Aston FE Bampton Bampton The Village Hall, Market Square, Bampton FF Black Bourton Black Bourton St Mary the Virgin Church, Burford Road, Black Bourton FG Bladon Bladon Church Room. Church Street, Bladon FH Blenheim Blenheim The Town Hall, Market Place, Woodstock FI Brize Norton Brize Norton The Elder Bank Hall, Station Road, Brize Norton FJ Broadwell Broadwell The Old School, Broadwell FK Bruern Bruern The Village Hall, Shipton Road, Milton-under- Wychwood FL Burford Burford St John the Baptist Church, Church Green, Burford or The Warwick Hall, Church Green, Burford FM Carterton North West Carterton (Rock Farm Ward) The Methodist Hall, Burford Road, Carterton No. 1 FM2 Carterton North West Carterton (Shillbrook Ward) The Army Cadet Force Hut, Swinbrook Road, No. 2 Carterton FM3 Carterton North East Carterton (Upavon Ward – part) (Less that portion of the The Methodist Hall, Burford Road, Carterton No. 1 Upavon Ward of Carterton included in Carterton North No. 4 Polling District) FM4 Carterton North East Carterton (Upavon Ward – part) (That portion of the Upavon Carterton Community Centre, Shilton Park, No. 2 Ward of Carterton indicated on a map deposited at West Carterton Oxfordshire District Council Offices) FN Carterton South No. 1 Carterton (Gateway Ward – part) (Less that portion of the The Town Hall, Alvescot Road, Carterton Gateway Ward of Carterton included in Carterton South No. 2 Polling District) Item No. 5, Page 3 of 8 Polling District Parishes and other areas within the Polling District Polling Place FN2 Carterton South No. 2 Carterton (Gateway Ward – part) (That portion of the Gateway The Town Hall, Alvescot Road, Carterton Ward of Carterton indicated on a map deposited at West Oxfordshire District Council Offices) FN3 Carterton South No. 3 Carterton (Milestone Ward) The Town Hall, Alvescot Road, Carterton FO Cassington Cassington The New Village Hall, The Green, Cassington FP Chadlington Chadlington The Memorial Hall, Chapel Road, Chadlington FQ Charlbury Charlbury The War Memorial Hall, Browns Lane, Charlbury FR Chastleton Chastleton The Village Hall, West Street, Kingham FS Chilson Chilson The Memorial Hall, Chapel Road, Chadlington FT Chipping Norton Chipping Norton The Town Hall, Chipping Norton FU Churchill Churchill The Village Hall, Church Road, Churchill FV Clanfield Clanfield The Carter Institute, The Green, Clanfield FW Combe Combe The Reading Room, The Green, Combe FX Cornbury and Cornbury and Wychwood The Memorial Hall, Chapel Road, Chadlington Wychwood FY Cornwell Cornwell The Village Hall, West Street, Kingham FZ Crawley Crawley The Village Hall, Middletown, Hailey GA Curbridge Curbridge The Parish Hall, Main Road, Curbridge GC Ducklington Ducklington The Village Hall, Standlake Road, Ducklington GD Enstone Enstone The New Parish Hall, Enstone GE Eynsham Eynsham Eynsham Village Hall, Back Lane, Eynsham GF Fawler Fawler Fawler Manor, Main Street, Fawler GG Fifield Fifield Fifield Parish Hall, High Street, Fifield GH Filkins Filkins and Broughton Poggs The Carter Institute, Filkins GI Finstock Finstock The Village Hall, Well Hill, Finstock GJ Freeland Freeland The Village Hall, Wroslyn Road, Freeland GK Fulbrook Fulbrook St John the Baptist Church, Church Green, Burford or The Warwick Hall, Church Green, Burford GL Glympton Glympton The Village Hall, Wootton GM Grafton and Radcot Grafton and Radcot The Village Hall, Filkins Road, Langford GN Great Tew Great Tew The Tew Centre, Ledwell Road, Great Tew GO Hailey Hailey The Village Hall, Middletown, Hailey GP Hanborough Hanborough The Pavilion, Playing Field, Roosevelt Road, Long Hanborough Item No. 5, Page 4 of 8 Polling District Parishes and other areas within the Polling District Polling Place GQ Hardwick with Yelford Hardwick with Yelford The Village Hall, Rack End, Standlake GR Heythrop Heythrop The Village Hall, Choicehall