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 .