Polling Districts and Polling Places Review 2023

Message from the Acting Returning Officer Tim O'Gara

Dear Sir/Madam

Please find below my comments on the review. Since the last polling districts and polling places review in 2019, all venues have been kept under regular appraisal and reflect the on-going changes that have occurred within the intervening years. Therefore, the approach I have taken is to ensure consistency and certainty for members of the public by only making changes to polling districts and polling stations if it is necessary. Additionally, changes have been proposed which directly benefit the voter experience in the polling station by reducing the maximum number of potential voters in the station and thus reducing the risk of queues.

Current and future choices of polling station have been primarily based on the availability of potential venues coupled to the following desirable criteria:

• A venue reachable for all voters regardless as to the means of travelling there.
• A venue within 1 mile safe walking distance.
• Circa 1,500 polling station electors (based on projected 2028 electorate numbers) at a polling station where geographical and physical features such as rivers and railways allow.
• Polling station must stay within the ward.
• A voter must not walk past another in-use polling station to get to their own one.
• Minimise the use of Portacabins.

The proposals for the location of polling district boundaries and the subsequent distribution of electors to polling stations is based on population trend analysis predictions up to 2028 and known building developments within the ward. It should be noted that 3 wards have large developments envisaged that the polling district proposals have accommodated, though until their development the exact position of the polling district boundaries will not be precisely known. Therefore adjustments to a limited number of polling district boundaries will be required within the next 5 years. The wards affected are Ashley (polling districts ASHK and ASHL), Hengrove and Whitchurch Park (HWPL and HWPM) and Lawrence Hill (LAWG and LAWJ).

In summary I have recommended changes to polling district boundaries which affect 27 wards including deleting 9 polling districts and creating 10 new ones.

Additionally, changes to polling stations have been recommended which affect 18 wards including 4 requests for suggestions for alternatives for specific polling districts.

Yours faithfully

Tim O’Gara

Acting Returning Officer

Bristol City Council

Why boundary changes have been proposed

Within a ward, boundary changes have been proposed to reflect the changes in population and proposals for new housing developments. It is important that all voters have the right level of services available to provide convenient means of voting. These proposals are being made to ensure that the arrangements are fit for purpose both now and into the future.

Why some wards have a proposed increase in the number of polling districts

In addition to the increased electorate expected to be voting in each ward, as Acting Returning Officer I am required to ensure that polling stations are fit for purpose. Part of this requirement is to ensure that the voter experience is free from interruption and delivered in an efficient way with queues kept to a minimum. Where polling districts have substantially more than 1,500 electors and geographical features, such as safe walking routes allow, I have proposed either splitting the polling district into two or moving voters to another polling district.

It should be noted that splitting a polling district into 2 does not normally increase staffing levels as the existing number of staff are employed across the 2 stations handling the same number of voters but employed in a more efficient manner. Additionally, where polling districts have been split, they are mostly within the same venue, but using distinct separate areas or rooms. Hence costs are kept approximately the same.

Definitions

What is a Polling District?

A polling district is the area created by the sub-division of a parliamentary constituency into smaller parts. A polling district will not breach ward boundaries.

On polling day all electors in a polling district will attend the same polling place to vote (unless they have opted to vote by post). One copy of the electoral register will be produced for each polling district, listing the electors in that polling district.

What is a Polling Place?

A ‘polling place’ is the geographical area, in which a polling station is located. It must be designated so that polling stations are within easy reach of all electors from across the polling district.

What is a Polling Station?

A polling station is the actual area where the process of voting takes place, e.g. a room in a community centre or school.

The Proposed Changes

The full details of the proposed changes are available to read here. They are also shown for each ward along with maps showing the changes in the survey link below.

Have your say

Please click on the link below to start the survey.

Please make sure you submit your response by 29 October 2023.

If you need the survey in an alternative format or translation, please contact the Consultation and Engagement Team at consultation@bristol.gov.uk or by calling 0117 922 2848.