Under the Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places (Parliamentary Elections) Regulations 2006 and the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013, all local authorities are required to review their polling districts, polling places, and polling stations every fifth year. The review period starts in October, and each authority may choose the exact dates and length of their review; however it must fall within a 16 month period. The next compulsory review period is from October 2023 to January 2025.
The review requires the council to:
We encourage you to submit your comments on the review if you have any concerns/comments on a polling place and encourage you to also suggest an alterative location so that this can be considered. Please detail the area/polling station that you are submitting your comments on.
If you are submitting a response as a councillor or on behalf of a political party or local community group or organisation, please include these details. Please note that all personal details will be removed when comments are published at the end of the consultation period.
Please submit your representations in writing from 1st November 2023 until 1st December 2023 via any of the methods below:
All comments received will be updated in Appendix A and published on the website and Civic Offices.
For further information on the Boundary Commission review and forthcoming changes, please visit Boundary Commission for England website.
Hard copies of the documents are available to view at the Reception at Reading Borough Council Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading, RG1 2LU during office hours. Alternatively, please visit one of the below libraries:
| Date | Timetable |
|---|---|
| 1st November 2023 | Formal notice of review |
| 1st November 2023 | Publication of (Acting) Returning Officer’s comments |
| 1st November 2023 | Commencement of public consultation period |
| 1st December 2023 | End of public consultation period |
| 31st December 2023 | Final proposals considered by |
| 16th January 2024 | Report to Committees Briefing 16th January 2024. |
| 19th February 2024 | Report to Policy Committee on 19th February 2024 |
| 19th March 2024 | Report to Full Council |
| March 2024 | Publish revised register of electors (if applicable) |
The area designated by the Boundary Commission which is represented by a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons. This cannot be changed by this review.
A polling district is the area created by the separation of a ward into smaller parts, within which a polling place can be determined that is most suitable for the electors. Each parish must be its own polling district unless there are special circumstances; for example if the parish/community has only a small number of electors and it is not practicable for the parish/community to be its own polling district. Town/parish boundaries cannot be altered as part of this review.
A polling place is the building or area in which the polling stations will be selected by the (Acting) Returning Officer. It can be a complete polling district, but the polling place should be an area small enough to easily recognise where the polling station is. If a polling district contains no suitable polling places, a polling station in an adjoining polling district becomes the polling place.
A polling station is the actual room where you cast your vote – usually a room in a building such as a village hall or school. Sometimes there are two polling stations in a polling place due to a particularly large number of electors in the polling district, or no suitable polling places in an adjoining polling district.
The principal factor for selecting polling stations is the suitability within a district for the majority of the electorate, and its accessibility. The decision for this is made by the (Acting) Returning Officer.