Agenda item

Report of the Group Director of Operations

The Group Director of Operations submitted a report (previously circulated) which invited Members to give consideration to conducting a review of Polling Districts, Polling Places and Polling Stations.

The submitted report stated that the Representation of the People Act 1983 (RPA 1983), as amended by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013, required local authorities to conduct reviews of the Polling Districts, Polling Places and Polling Stations within their local authority area, and that the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 subsequently governed the timing of compulsory Polling District, Polling Place and Polling Station Reviews. The next compulsory review was due to commence within the sixteen-month period beginning on 1 October 2023.

The submitted report recapped the last full review, held in 2018, and the last interim review of our Polling Districts, Polling Places and Polling Stations, which took place in 2022, ahead of the Local Government (Borough Council) Elections in 2023.

The submitted report set out the requirements for the forthcoming review, and outlined a suggested approach to the review process, together with appropriate timescales.

RESOLVED -  That the compulsory review of the Polling Districts, Polling Places and Polling Stations be conducted in accordance with the review process and timescales as outlined at Appendix 1 of the submitted report.

REASON

The recommendation is supported in order to ensure that Polling Districts, Polling Places and Polling Stations are suitable and fit for purpose, ahead of the scheduled elections in May 2024.