We are writing to let you know that we have just begun a Polling District and Polling Place Review. By way of background information, local authorities are required to review their polling districts and polling places for UK parliamentary constituencies at least once every five years. The same polling districts and places must also be used for other elections. West Northamptonshire Council is now undertaking such a review. Public consultation began on 15 November and runs until 3 January. More information, including the link to the survey, can be found here: Review of polling districts and places | West Northamptonshire Council

A polling district is a geographical area which is used for election purposes only. All voters living in a certain polling district all go to the same building, called a polling place, to cast their votes. A polling place is a building or area in which polling stations will be located. As far as possible, these should be situated within the polling district for which they are designated. In exceptional circumstances, the polling place may be designated outside the polling district. A polling station is a room or building where voting actually takes place. There can be more than one polling station in a polling place, which is common in many areas. Wherever possible, there should be no more than 2500 electors allotted to a polling station.

Local authorities must comply with a number of legislative requirements regarding the designation of polling districts and polling places:

• each parish in England is to be a separate polling district, unless special circumstances apply.
• the Council must designate a polling place for each polling district, unless the size or other circumstances of a polling district are such that the situation of the polling stations does not materially affect the convenience of the electors.
• the polling place must be an area in the district, unless special circumstances make it desirable to designate an area wholly or partly outside the district (for example, if no accessible polling place can be identified in the district).
• the polling place must be small enough to indicate to electors in different parts of the district how they will be able to reach the polling station.

Local authorities must also comply with accessibility requirements. Every person should be able to vote without facing barriers. By identifying and understanding the physical, psychological and information barriers disabled people may face when voting, Returning Officers will be better able to make appropriate arrangements to help support them. As part of the review, the Council must consider the accessibility of potential polling stations when considering designating or reviewing a polling place. In doing so we must seek to ensure that:

• all electors in a constituency in the local authority area have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances.
• so far as is reasonable and practicable every polling place for which it is responsible is accessible to electors who are disabled.

As well as the general elements of the review, there are a number of specific proposals that have been made as a result of:

• The recent review of WNC’s ward boundaries
• Our review of parish electoral arrangements (Community Governance Review)
• Feedback on suitability and accessibility of polling places from recent elections

Please check the notice (available here) to see if your parish is affected by the proposals. We’d be grateful if you could consider completing the survey and also publicise it amongst other groups or individuals who may be able to contribute views.