Agenda item

Report of the Managing Director.

The Managing Director submitted a report to report the outcome of a recent review of Polling Districts, Polling Places and Polling Stations for the Darlington and Sedgefield Parliamentary Constituencies.

The submitted report stated that the Representation of the People Act 1983, as amended by the Registration and Administration Act 2013, placed a duty on all local authorities in England and Wales to undertake and complete a review of all of the Polling Districts and Polling Places in its area, and highlighted that the Review was being undertaken at the earliest opportunity to ensure that the Polling Places and Polling Stations remained fit for purpose ahead of the Local Government Elections in 2019.

The submitted report outlined the work undertaken to publicise the Review, the initial proposals submitted for consultation, the representations received, and the subsequent draft recommendations. The submitted report also addressed the recommendations of the Parliamentary Boundary Review 2018, and the observations of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK following their UK Parliamentary (General) Election Assessment Mission in 2017, and the observations made by Democracy Volunteers at the same election.

RESOLVED

(a)    That the changes proposed to the existing Polling Districts, Polling Places and Polling Stations ahead of the Local Elections in May 2019, be noted and approved.

(b)    That the recommendations of the Returning Officer in relation to the Polling Districts and Polling Places that will come into being should the recommendations of the Parliamentary Boundary Review be approved, be endorsed, and that Officers be requested to implement the recommendations accordingly; and

(c)    That the publication of the proposals for Polling Places be authorised.

REASONS

(a)  To comply with the requirements of the Representation of the People Act 1983, as amended by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013.

(b)  To enable the decisions to be made, publicised and implemented in good time for the elections scheduled for May 2019.