Polling district and polling place review - Local government

Notes of a meeting to discuss polling place arrangements following consideration of feedback and site visits:

1. Kings Cliffe Village Hall - A request was received to review the polling place in the village and consider instead the use of Kings Cliffe Active.  A site visit was made to Kings Cliffe Active to establish whether the venue would make a suitable alternative polling place. Whilst the building itself would be suitable for use as a polling station, its location on the outskirts of the village some distance away from the main residential area was likely to require most electors to undertake a journey by car or other form of transport.  Bus services within the village are very limited and residents may need to rely on the assistance of friends or neighbours in order to travel to the polling station.  Walking may not be a feasible option for some electors.  Whilst there are some accessibility concerns in relation to the Village Hall, it was felt that the current location was the best option in the circumstances.
   
   It was agreed that the polling station remained at Kings Cliffe Village Hall.
    
2. Rushden Pemberton (polling district PEB) -  Feedback was received in relation to the allocation of the large number of electors to Highfield Baptist Church, particularly as there is limited parking in the area.  Contact has been made with the Pemberton Centre and confirmation has been received that the building can be used as a polling station going forwards.
   
   It is was agreed that the polling district be split into two areas with electors being allocated to either Highfield Baptist Church or the Pemberton Centre as appropriate.
    
3. Whitefriars (polling district PEB) - Confirmation has been received that this building is no longer available.
   
   As above, it was agreed that the polling district be split with electors being allocated to either the Pemberton Centre or Highfield Baptist Church.
    
4. Hope Church, Wellingborough - Feedback was received that the Hope Church may not be available. Contact has been made with the booking agent and confirmation has been received that the redevelopment of the building is in the very early stages and it will be available for use for some time.
   
   It was agreed that this polling place be included in the polling place order.
    
5. John White Golf Club / Higham and Rushden Rugby Football Club (polling districts RSC, RSD, RSF) - To date it has not been possible to make contact with the booking agent for the Rugby Football Club, therefore John White Golf Club is the only alternative option in this area.
   
   Efforts will continue to be made to make contact but in the meantime, it was agreed that electors in polling district RSD be allocated to the John White Golf Club with electors in polling districts RSC and RSF allocated to the John White Golf Club in the event that it was not possible to secure the Rugby Football Club
    
6. Glenvale Primary School (polling district HPB) - Feedback was received in relation to the allocation of electors to a polling place in this polling district. In the past electors had been allocated to a mobile unit situated in the car park of the Ock ‘n’ Dough.
   
   At the 3 most recent elections held in 2024, this venue was unavailable therefore electors were allocated to the Redwell Leisure Centre but this venue is located outside the parliamentary constituency. Glenvale Primary School is currently the only suitable polling place in the vicinity that is located within the Daventry constituency.
   
   The main concerns around the use of Glenvale Primary School as a polling place in this polling district were the need for transport to the polling place or for electors to cross the busy A509 main road.  Similar issues existed with the use of Redwell Leisure Centre but no complaints were received from electors in respect of these concerns.  School premises will generally only be used in situations where no suitable alternative can be identified. At present no suitable alternative is available.
   
   It was agreed that the original recommendation stands and that electors be allocated to Glenvale Primary School for the May 2025 elections with a view to establishing an alternative in the longer term. It was understood that a new community facility was nearing completion, and it was anticipated that this would prove to be a suitable alternative for future elections.
    
7. Wrenn School Pavilion (polling district CSB) - A request was received to review use of the Wrenn School Pavilion.  An alternative venue was suggested at the Swanspool Pavilion. A site visit has been made to Swanspool Pavilion, and the building is suitable to be used as a polling station. Whilst it is located within the polling district it is situated away from the main residential area.  Use of the Pavilion will, however, reduce disruption to the school and enable the school to remain open on polling day.
   
   It was agreed that the Swanspool Pavilion be used for the elections in May 2025. Any feedback would then be considered with a view to establishing whether to continue to use the polling place for future elections.
    
8. College Street Centre (polling district IBB) - A request was made to review the use of the College Street Centre due to issues with parking outside the venue.  Unfortunately there are no other suitable venues in the local facility that would alleviate this issue.
   
   Therefore it was agreed that the College Street Centre continued to be used as the polling place in this polling district for the time being until a more suitable alternative was identified.
    
9. Corby Kingswood (polling districts KIA and KIB) - An additional polling place has been secured at Corby Church of Scotland (previously known as St Ninians Church). The venue is located next to Beanfield Community Centre and will help to relieve pressure on the polling place there. Additional signage may be required to alleviate confusion with two polling stations being located very close together.
   
   It was agreed that the Church of Scotland be designated as the polling place for electors in polling district KIB.

Polling District and Place Review – Acting Returning Officer, Daventry and South Northamptonshire constituencies

Please find attached the initial draft proposals in respect of the polling district and place review for the area of North Northamptonshire.  As part of the review we are required to consult the Acting Returning Officer for any part of a constituency that wholly or partly falls within the North Northamptonshire Council area.

If you should have any remarks/recommendations or other feedback in respect of the review I would be grateful if you respond as soon as possible.

As part of the review of Polling Districts and Polling Places we have also created a map showing the outline of draft proposals for new polling districts.  These initial proposals take account of the new North Northamptonshire Council ward boundaries and amendments made to parish arrangements as detailed in the North Northamptonshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2024.

The proposals are still draft at this stage pending further feedback that will inform the preparation of final draft proposals that will be presented to Democracy and Standards Committee on 18 November 2024.  

The map of the initial draft proposals can be viewed via the following link: https://nncgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/media/index.html?appid=2168213d06f549c8823287909f677704. Please note the following limitations with the mapping system:

• Only two layers can be viewed using the sliding tool.  This map shows the outline of polling districts only.  The new ward boundaries, parish and town council boundaries and location of polling stations cannot currently be viewed on this map.
• There are some proposed changes to polling districts that are not, at this stage, accurately reflected on the map. These will be remedied as soon as possible but in the meantime separate maps will be provided for the affected polling districts and these will be available via the polling district and polling place review pages of the North Northamptonshire Council website over the coming days.
• The data displayed in the information box that appears when clicking on an area contains historical data relating to previous arrangements and may not reflect the new draft proposals.

The map enables the viewer to compare the existing arrangements and draft proposals by sliding the screen left or right as required.  The new draft proposals are shown on the left hand side, with the existing arrangements shown outlined on the right in orange.

If you have any comments or feedback relating to the proposals, please email your thoughts to either myself or to [email protected] by no later than 1st November 2024. When considering the arrangements of polling districts please be mindful of the following:

• The boundaries should be sufficiently well defined.  For example, it is preferable for polling district boundaries to follow the natural boundaries of the area such as roads, rivers, green spaces etc and to reflect local communities.  This will not be possible in every instance, but ideally we should aim to ensure that where possible the polling district reflects local communities.
• There should be suitable transport links within the polling district that provide access to the polling station for the most highly populated parts of the polling district area
• Where possible we should aim to avoid any substantial obstacles that might prevent voters from easily making their way to the polling station eg major roads, railways, rivers etc.  

Please note that the polling district codes shown on the map are for reference only.  New polling district codes will be allocated to the final recommendations.

If you should have any queries in relation to the above, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

Head of Electoral Services

Dear Colleague

Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places - North Northamptonshire Council

I’m writing to advise that the above Polling District and Place Review has now begun, and we are inviting feedback, representations and suggestions relating to the accessibility of polling places within the North Northamptonshire Council local authority area.   It is expected that any changes that are introduced as a result of this review will be in place in time for the local government elections due to be held in May 2025.

The following people may make representations or comments in relation to this review:

• Any elector in the constituencies of Corby & East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Wellingborough and Rushden and those parts of the Daventry and South Northamptonshire Constituencies within the area of North Northamptonshire
• Any person or body with expertise in access for persons with any type of disability

We’re particularly interested to hear about the experiences of your service contacts and specifically about any barriers people faced when visiting their local polling station at the recent elections. We would greatly appreciate examples or suggestions that would help us to improve the voting experience in ways that make attending the polling station more accessible for persons with a disability. Comments and representations may be made up until 25 October 2024.

Further information about the review is available on our website: https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/elections-and-voting/polling-district-and-polling-place-review

Comments, suggestions, and representations may be made in the following ways:

• Online via our online feedback form: https://northnorthants.citizenspace.com/cet/polling-district-place-review-2024
• By Email: [email protected]
• By writing to: Electoral Services, North Northamptonshire Council, Bowling Green Road, Kettering, NN15 7QX

If you are not the representative of an organisation that has an interest in the review then I apologise for sending this email to you. However, if you are aware of someone, or of an organisation that is likely to have an interest in the review, then I would be extremely grateful if you could forward this email to them.

If you have any queries regarding the above, or require further information, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Many thanks for your help in this matter.

Yours sincerely

Head of Electoral Services