This report sets out the results of the current (2023-24) review of Polling Districts and Polling Places in Reading, with recommendations to change some Polling Places for future local and Parliamentary elections. 

The Committee received a report to consider the results of the 2023-24 review of Polling Districts and Polling Places in Reading, also to consider changes to some Polling Places for future local and Parliamentary elections.

The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (the 2013 Act), and the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (the 2006 Act), did not provide for councils to review constituency or ward boundaries (these responsibilities sat with the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) and the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE)), and the regular review of Polling Districts and Polling Stations by councils must therefore take place within the existing constituency and ward boundaries.  The report provided information on changes that had been made to the location of some of the Polling Places in the Polling Districts, to reflect changes brought about by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) review of 2019/20 and changes made as a result of the Covid Pandemic. 

The report explained that the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (the 2013 Act) introduced a change to the timing of compulsory reviews of UK Parliamentary Polling Districts and Polling Places.  The last review had taken place in 2018/19 (the 2019 review) and the results had been reported to Council on 26 March 2019 (Minute 26 refers).  

The current compulsory review had to be started and completed between 1 October 2023 and 31 January 2025 (inclusive).  The notice of the current 2023-24 review had been published on 1 November 2023, on the Council’s website, at the Civic Offices, and in the Council’s libraries.  The deadline for responses was 1 December 2023. 

This year’s review had attracted seven responses which was a significant decrease from the 37 responses generated by the 2019 review.  The comments were set out in the schedule at Appendix A to the report. The Returning Officer’s written submission to the review process, which commented on the existing Polling Stations, any new Polling Stations and new Polling Districts that may be used based on proposals made in the review, was attached to the report at Appendix B.  A plan of the new (2023) Polling Districts was also provided at Appendix C to the report.

Resolved –

That the following be recommended to Council –

(1)          That the results of the consultation on the 2023-24 Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places (Appendix A), and the Returning Officer’s written submission (Appendix B), be received and noted;

(2)          That the changes to Polling Places made since the 2019 review, to accommodate the Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s (LGBCE’s) 2019-20 review of ward boundaries in Reading, implemented in 2022 and set out in para. 3.22 of the report, be noted;

(3)          That the impact of the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) review of Parliamentary Constituency boundaries, and the changes to Parliamentary Constituencies covering Reading made in the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020, be noted, in particular those arising from the Act basing the new Parliamentary Constituencies on the pre-2019-20 review ward boundaries; and that the necessarily consequent creation of the additional Polling Districts listed below to deal with the anomalies arising be approved:

a.    Polling District BC in Battle ward to serve the even numbered properties on the west side of Wantage Road which will vote in Battle Library Polling Station

b.    Polling District JC in Norcot ward to serve houses (even numbers) to the south of Cockney Hill and Cheddington Close which will vote in St Michael’s Primary School

c.    Polling District BB in Battle ward to serve Stone Street, Tidmarsh Street, Pangbourne Street, Ivydene Road, Ledbury Close which will vote in the Emmanuel Methodist Church;

(4)          That the following changes be made to the number of Polling Stations at the Polling Places listed below: 

a.    Battle Polling District B – Battle Library – establish a second Polling Station

b.    Battle Polling District BA - Emmanuel Methodist Church - establish a fourth Polling Station

c.    Norcot Polling District JA – St Michael’s Primary School – establish a second Polling Station;

(5)          That with regard to the responses to the public consultation on the 2023-24 Polling Districts and Polling Places Review, set out in Appendices A and B:

a.    On Caversham ward District CA, the Returning Officer consulted with the Caversham ward Councillors about the proposal to utilise Our Lady and St Annes Caversham Church as a Polling Place to replace New Bridge Nursery School which presently hosts two Polling Stations. The Caversham ward Councillors wish the Polling Place to remain at New Bridge Nursery School

b.    The position and response concerning Abbey Polling District AB in light of the proposed closure of Reading Central Library be noted; and in this regard, having received the views and reference of the Abbey ward Councillors, and their preferred location as an alternative Polling Place being Abbey Baptist Church be implemented by the Returning Officer after 2024 elections

c.    it be noted that the anomaly to locate all the properties in the range 37-91 Lowfield Road in Emmer Green ward Polling District GB was corrected in 2022

d.    no change be made to the location of the Polling Place for Whitley Polling District PC, where the Whitley ward Councillors had been consulted and wished to retain the Polling Station at 100 Longwater Avenue

e.    the Returning Officer having consulted with the Church ward Councillors, regarding the use of Tyndale Baptist Church as an alternative Polling Place for Church Polling District E in anticipation of the temporary closure for refurbishment works at the Guide and Scout HQ making the building unavailable for elections in 2024 implement their decision to utilise the Tyndale Baptist Church as the Temporary Polling Place;

(6)          That the following changes to Polling Districts be agreed:

a.    Wantage Hall and St Georges Hall be moved from Redlands ward district LD into Redlands ward district LA

b.    Numbers 1,3,5,7,9 Whitley Park Lane be moved from Redlands ward LC into Redlands ward district LD

c.    Katesgrove HC Polling District be abolished and all properties in it be moved into Katesgrove ward H Polling District (Katesgrove School);

(7)       That the Returning Officer be authorised to implement all appropriate actions arising from the review and discussed in the report, in consultation where appropriate with affected ward Councillors.