Polling Station Consultation Review of Polling Stations 2014 Survey results from the review of Polling Stations survey 2014 Questionnaires Sent out In May 2014 a short Polling station questionnaire was distributed as follows: x Email survey to all Councillors x Email survey to all Parish Councillors x Placed on the Harrogate Borough Council web site and internal intranet x Each polling station were given questionnaire postcards and asked to hand them out to 10% of the electorate x All Polling Station staff were asked to complete a questionnaire Questionnaires Received 3581 responses to the survey were received from users of the polling Station 250 responses were received from Polling Station Staff Satisfaction Levels Respondents were asked the following questions: x Which Polling Station do you usually vote at? x Overall how satisfied are you with this Polling Station? x If you are dissatisfied please state why? x Can you suggest a more appropriate building from which to vote within your ward? (note: this question was not asked to Polling Station staff) x What is your age? (note: this question was not asked to Polling Station staff) x Do you consider yourself to have a disability? (note: this question was not asked to Polling Station staff) Note All postal voters have been excluded from this survey report 1 Executive Summary Satisfaction levels with all aspects of the Polling station where respondents go to vote were high. x Overall 97% of voters and Polling Staff were very satisfied or satisfied with their Polling Station x 97% of voters were very satisfied with their Polling Station x 96% of Polling Staff were very satisfied or satisfied with their Polling Station x Details of satisfaction levels at each individual Polling Stations including comments by voters and suggestions as to alternative locations for voting can be found at Appendix A Overall Satisfaction (including Polling Staff) Very satisfied of satisfied 3703 96.7% Neither satisfied nor 71 1.9% dissatisfied Dissatisfied 47 1.2% No opinion 10 0.2% Overall how satisfied are you with this Polling Station? Voters Very satisfied / Neither Dissatisfied No opinion satisfied No % No % No % No % Harrogate 1232 96.8% 24 1.9% 14 1% 3 0.2% Knaresborough 423 95.1% 16 3.6% 5 1.1% 1 0.2% Ripon 421 94.8% 8 1.8% 13 2.9% 2 0.5% Rural 1388 97.8% 18 1.3% 10 0.7% 3 0.2% Responses 3464 96.7% 66 1.8% 42 1.2 9 0.2 Overall how satisfied are you with this Polling Station? Polling Staff Very satisfied / Neither Dissatisfied No opinion satisfied No % No % No % No % Harrogate 49 100% Knaresborough 23 92% 1 4% 1 4% Ripon 15 94% 1 6% Rural 152 95% 5 3.1% 3 1.9% Responses 239 95.6% 6 2.4% 5 2% Profile of Voter respondents Age No % 18-29 209 5.8% 30-44 410 11.4% 45-59 913 25.5% 60-74 1261 35.2% 75+ 387 10.8% Prefer not to say 401 11.2% Profile of Voter respondents Disability Yes No Prefer not to say 149 4.2% 2960 472 2 Appendix A Polling Stations in the Harrogate District Bilton Ward Available Polling Stations Bilton Cricket Club, Bilton Community Centre, Satisfaction Bilton Community Centre, 48 Bilton Lane, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 80 of 106 2 of 2 Satisfied 24 of 106 Neither satisfied nor 1 of 106 dissatisfied Dissatisfied 0 No opinion 1 of 106 Bilton Cricket Club Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 71 of 91 Satisfied 11 of 91 2 of 2 Neither satisfied nor 0 dissatisfied Dissatisfied 0 No opinion 1 of 91 Reason for dissatisfaction Bilton Community Centre, My voting card did not arrive! The lighting could have been better Bilton Cricket Club The tellers outside asking for polling card numbers feel very intrusive in what is supposed to be a private election! Poor lighting in polling booths Portable lights didn't work properly and general lighting poor (polling station staff comment) Too many polling stations in Bilton - waste of resources The tellers outside asking for polling card numbers feel very intrusive in what is supposed to be a private election! Suggestion of a more appropriate building from which to vote Bilton Community Centre, 48 Bilton Lane, Harrogate 3 Polling Stations in the Harrogate District Granby Ward Available Polling Stations Christ Church Parish Centre, Church Square, Harrogate Fairfax Community Centre, Fairfax Avenue, Harrogate Satisfaction Christ Church Parish Centre, Church Square, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 85 of 104 2 Satisfied 16 of 104 Neither satisfied nor 2 of 104 dissatisfied Dissatisfied 1 of 104 No opinion Fairfax Community Centre, Fairfax Avenue, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 50 of 76 Satisfied 26 of 76 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied No opinion Reason for dissatisfaction Christ Church Parish Centre, Church Square, Harrogate -Publicity of location poor. Need better signage in wider area - main road. -Find the Pollsters on the front door to be irritating in what is meant to be an anonymous vote - they present as if you must tell them how you voted. -Why are attendants on the door - so anxious for the polling card when it says 'not necessary' on card. -There are always two women by the door who ask questions. If they are party reps they should not be here and if they are 'other' they should not interfere with those coming to vote. -I think there should be the names of all the roads and the polling booth numbers at the doorway, so that people can see immediately which door they should go to instead of having to look at each booth. Suggestion of a more appropriate building from which to vote Christ Church Parish Centre, Church Square, Harrogate -Fairfax -Woodlands School or Church 4 Polling Stations in the Harrogate District Low Harrogate Ward Available Polling Stations St Peters Church, Cambridge Street entrance, Harrogate Knapping Mount Conference Room, West Grove Road, Harrogate Scout Hut, St Marys Walk, Harrogate, HG2 0LS Satisfaction St Peters Church, Cambridge Street entrance, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 14 of 19 2 Satisfied 5 of 19 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied No opinion Knapping Mount Conference Room, West Grove Road, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 6 of 10 Satisfied 3 of 10 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied Dissatisfied 1 of 10 No opinion Scout Hut, St Marys Walk, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 38 of 55 Satisfied 13 of 55 Neither satisfied nor 4 of 55 dissatisfied Dissatisfied No opinion Reason for dissatisfaction Knapping Mount Conference Room, West Grove Road, Harrogate -Directions to station not given Prior to poll - confusion St Lukes re location of polling station We went to our old polling station. It would have been helpful if the change had been highlighted on card Scout Hut, St Marys Walk, Harrogate -No poll card received check with Elections Office on Register Polling booths not set up as I understand they are elsewhere exterior poor for signs Suggestion of a more appropriate building from which to vote Knapping Mount Conference Room, West Grove Road, Harrogate -St Lukes 5 Polling Stations in the Harrogate District New Park Ward Available Polling Stations Coppice Valley C P School, Knapping Hill, Harrogate New Park C P School, Skipton Road, Harrogate Satisfaction Coppice Valley C P School, Knapping Hill, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 5 of 10 Satisfied 4 of 10 2 Neither satisfied nor 1 of 10 dissatisfied Dissatisfied No opinion New Park C P School, Skipton Road, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 77 of 93 Satisfied 14 of 93 2 Neither satisfied nor 1 of 93 dissatisfied Dissatisfied 1 of 93 No opinion Reason for dissatisfaction Coppice Valley C P School, Knapping Hill, Harrogate -Message from Cllr Webber, Headteacher not happy with lunchtime arrangements for pupils and said he might not allow the school to be used in future. Suggestion of a more appropriate building from which to vote Coppice Valley C P School, Knapping Hill, Harrogate -New Park C P School, Skipton Road, Harrogate 6 Polling Stations in the Harrogate District Starbeck Ward Available Polling Stations Starbeck Youth & Community Centre, High Street Satisfaction Starbeck Youth & Community Centre, High Street Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 63 of 77 Satisfied 10 of 77 2 Neither satisfied nor 3 of 77 dissatisfied Dissatisfied 1 of 77 No opinion Reason for dissatisfaction Starbeck Youth & Community Centre, High Street -Did not like being asked my details by Lib Dem lady outside Suggestion of a more appropriate building from which to vote -None specified 7 Polling Stations in the Harrogate District Stray Ward Available Polling Stations St Marks Church Hall, Leeds Road, Harrogate Woodlands Methodist Church Hall, Wetherby Road, Harrogate Satisfaction St Marks Church Hall, Leeds Road, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 49 of 60 2 Satisfied 8 of 60 Neither satisfied nor 2 of 60 dissatisfied Dissatisfied 1 of 60 No opinion Woodlands Methodist Church Hall, Wetherby Road, Harrogate Electorate Polling station staff Very satisfied 25 of 34 1 Satisfied 6 of 34 1 Neither satisfied nor 1 of 34 dissatisfied Dissatisfied 2 of 34 No opinion Reason for dissatisfaction St Marks Church Hall, Leeds Road, Harrogate -I object to being harassed by party representatives in the lobby of the polling station -Lighting made it difficult to distinguish between white & yellow papers & ballot boxes -Object to representative from parties sat in the entrance hall passing themselves off as someone who requires information Woodlands Methodist Church Hall, Wetherby Road, Harrogate Polling Staff -Parking inadequate when busy.