READING BOROUGH COUNCIL REPORT BY RETURNING OFFICER TO: COUNCIL DATE: 17 OCTOBER 2006 AGENDA ITEM: TITLE: POLLING DISTRICTS AND PLACES IN CHURCH, MINSTER AND WHITLEY WARDS LEAD CLLR LOVELOCK PORTFOLIO: CORPORATE SERVICES COUNCILLOR: SERVICE: ELECTIONS WARDS: CHURCH, MINSTER AND WHITLEY LEAD OFFICER: JOHN PAINTER TEL: JOB TITLE: HEAD OF CENTRAL E-MAIL: [email protected] ADMINISTRATION 1. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY OF REPORT 1.1 To seek retrospective approval to changes made to polling districts and polling places in Church, Minster and Whitley wards for the local elections held in May 2006: 2. RECOMMENDED ACTION 2.1 That with regard to Church ward: a) Christ the King Church Hall, Northumberland Avenue, be designated as the polling place for District NC of Church ward; b) the polling the areas shown hatched on plan A attached to this report be transferred from District NB to District NC in Church ward, so that their polling place will be Christ the King Church Hall; 2.2 That with regard to Minster ward: a) the Coley Park Community Centre be designated as the polling place for District DC of Minster ward; b) the polling districts DB and DC in Minster ward be combined as Minster DB; 2.3 That with regard to Whitley ward: 1 a) the Whitley Park Infants’ School be designated as the polling place for District S of Whitley ward b) the polling districts S and SC be combined as Whitley S c) the polling district SD (which polls at the South Reading Youth & Community Centre) be re-designated as polling district SC. 3. POLICY CONTEXT 3.1 It is the Council’s policy to encourage electors to exercise their right to vote and to locate polling places and polling stations in buildings which are suitable for the areas concerned and which assist voters in that area who wish to vote in person to reach their polling station and gain access in a manner which will encourage them to exercise their right to vote. 3.2 Following the 2002 Ward Boundary Review, the boundaries of the revised polling districts within each ward, and the polling places for each polling district, were approved by full Council on 23 July 2003 (Minute 22 refers). A subsequent change to the polling place for Battle polling district AB was approved by full Council on 290 April 2004. 4. THE PROPOSAL 4.1 Church Ward The proposals for this ward have been made to me by the ward Councillors, and concern polling district NC. The previous polling place for this polling district was the Whitley Advice Shop, which was small, had no discrete location for tellers, and gave rise to complaints about staff security. The ward Councillors advised me of proposals to change the use of the Advice Shop, which could have the effect of restricting its access. I agreed with the ward Councillors to explore alternative locations for the polling place, and subsequently agreed with them to re-locate the polling place to Christ the King Church Hall. This was the location of the polling place at this year’s May local elections, and in my view it was an equally accessible and more suitable polling place. It is located out of Church ward, on the east side of Northumberland Avenue, which is the western ward boundary. However, there were no other suitable public or community buildings in the polling district, and Church ward has one other polling place located out of ward, at the South Reading Youth & Community Centre, for the same reason. At the same time, the ward Councillors requested that properties nos. 165-219 Hartland Road and the three blocks of flats 383,385 and 387 Northumberland Avenue, be transferred from polling district NB to polling district NC in Church ward, for the convenience of electors. The new polling place, at Christ the 2 King Church Hall, is considerably nearer to these properties than the polling place for polling district NB, at the South Reading Youth and Community Centre. 4.2 Minster Ward The polling place for polling district DC in Minster ward, as approved by Council on 23 July 2003, was at the Coley Park Primary School, Wensley Road. In the lead-up to the 2005 general election, it was realised not only that that the Council had approved the merger of this school with the next-door school of St Mary and All Saints Primary School, but that the Coley Park school building was due for demolition in the week before the election. We therefore transferred the polling place to St Mary and All Saints school, pro tem. The position was reviewed following the general election, and at the suggestion of ward Councillors, for the 2006 local elections the polling place for Minster DC polling district was moved across Wensley Road to the Coley Park Community Centre. This was already the polling place for Minster DB polling district. This arrangement worked well, and this report therefore recommends that it be continued, and consequently that the two polling districts using Coley Park Community Centre as their polling place be combined. 4.3 Whitley Ward The polling place for polling district S in Whitley ward as approved by Council on 23 July 2003, was the Community Centre at 2 Camelford Close. The local Community Association gave the Council notice on the Community Centre in March 2006, and handed back the keys. The building was secured, empty, and the utilities were disconnected. Site visits nearer to the election revealed a degree of vandalism. Therefore in consultation with ward Councillors, and at short notice, I decided to transfer the polling place to Whitley Wood Infants’ school, which was already the polling place for Whitley SC polling district. This arrangement worked well, and this report therefore recommends that it be continued, and consequently that the two polling districts using Whitley Wood Infants’ school be combined. 5. CONTRIBUTION TO STRATEGIC AIMS 5.1 The Council seeks to achieve its strategic aims through promoting the participation of Reading people in local democracy. 6. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INFORMATION 7.1 As a result of the above changes, in May 2006 a number of voters voted at different polling places from previous years. The poll cards that were sent to 3 all voters included a map showing the polling station and carried the exhortation, “please note, your polling station may have changed”. 7. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS 7.1 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. 7.2 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. 7.3 Unless there are special circumstances, the polling place for any polling district should be located in the district itself. 7.4 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. 7.5 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. 8. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 8.1 The Electoral Registration service has a budget of £7,000 for the hire of polling places. 9. BACKGROUND PAPERS 9.1 Report to Council, July 2003. 4.