Agenda item

To consider a report setting out the recommendations from the review of Polling Districts and Polling Places which was conducted by a cross-party group of Members.

RECOMMENDATIONThat Council:

1)         agrees to retain the polling places for the polling districts listed in the attached schedule for elections from May 2020 onwards.  This includes the two changes made for May 2019, whereby CAM1 has Charvil Village Hall and EFW and EGW have Aldryngton School designated;

2)         agrees to change the polling district boundaries, as detailed below, (see maps for further clarity);

a) Shinfield North – Residents from Ducketts Mead to be moved from SAW2 to SAW1, so they can vote at Shinfield Player’s Theatre;

b) Shinfield South – Residents from Church Lane and the northern end of Basingstoke Road and Hyde End Lane to be moved from SDW to SBW, allowing them to vote at Three Mile Cross Church;

3)        agrees that, although no changes are to be made to the schools we currently use as polling places, we will continue to seek suitable alternatives as and when they become available.

The Council considered a report regarding the review which had been undertaken of Polling Districts and Polling Places, set out at Agenda pages 33 to 40.

It was proposed by Anthony Pollock and seconded by Gary Cowan that the recommendations within the agenda be approved.

Anthony Pollock highlighted proposed changes to some polling stations across the Borough.

Gary Cowan indicated that he had been part of the cross party working group and attended the meeting when the proposals had been made.  He thanked the other members of the Working Group for their contribution and the Officers for their support.

Charlotte Haitham Taylor stated that she was pleased to see changes particularly for Shinfield South, which she had been championing for several years.  In the past some residents had had to travel past Three Mile Cross Church in order to reach their polling station in Spencers Wood.  They would now be able to vote in Three Mile Cross Church.

Carl Doran indicated that he was also part of the Working Group.  He thanked the Officers for their support and the other Members.  He emphasised the importance of the convenience for electors with regards to the location of polling stations.  Whilst they would like to remove polling stations from schools it was important to ensure that all electors be given ‘such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances’.  It was particularly difficult to find available polling stations in the event of snap elections and local authority maintained schools were one of the few places that could be secured in this instance.  A small number of schools were being used as polling stations and this number would hopefully reduce.

Ian Pittock stated that he also had been part of the Working Group.  He believed that schools should not be used as polling stations.  Using schools as polling stations disrupted childrens education and could cause hardship for parents who may need to take time off work to care for their children.  Although there had been a shift in to using primary instead of secondary schools, primary schools also had exams in May.  He was pleased to see that the number of schools used as polling stations had reduced but felt that there were alternatives available that should have been selected.

David Sleight stated that he too had been part of the Working Group.  Whilst Councillor Pittock had prepared an alternative proposal for Wokingham Without so that Oaklands School did not have to be used as a polling station, it was unworkable and would, he felt, have increased congestion and reduced voter turnout.

Lindsay Ferris asked about the moving of a polling station from Maiden Erlegh Library to Aldryngton Primary School.  David Chopping indicated that with regards to Maiden Erlgeh, the school had taken back control of the library so an alternative polling station had had to be found.  Aldryngton Primary School was a convenient location. 

Councillor Pittock requested that a separate vote be held on each recommendation.

Upon being put to the vote it was:

RESOLVED:  That

1)         the polling places for the polling districts listed in the attached schedule be retained for elections from May 2020 onwards.  This includes the two changes made for May 2019, whereby CAM1 has Charvil Village Hall and EFW and EGW have Aldryngton School designated;

2)         the change the polling district boundaries, as detailed below, be agreed (see maps for further clarity);

a) Shinfield North – Residents from Ducketts Mead to be moved from SAW2 to SAW1, so they can vote at Shinfield Player’s Theatre;

b) Shinfield South – residents from Church Lane and the northern end of Basingstoke Road and Hyde End Lane to be moved from SDW to SBW, allowing them to vote at Three Mile Cross Church;

3)        although no changes are to be made to the schools we currently use as polling places, the Council will continue to seek suitable alternatives as and when they become available.