Agenda item

The Electoral Administration Act 2006 and the subsequent Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places Regulations 2006 require each electoral registration authority in England, Scotland and Wales to carry out a review of both its polling district boundaries and its polling places every four years.   The first such review took place in 2007.  This report informs members of feedback to the Polling District and Polling Stations Review undertaken within Brent this year and asks that a decision be reached on the future electoral arrangements for Brent.

The Electoral Services Manager explained that as required under the Electoral Administration Act 2006 and the subsequent Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places Regulations 2006 a review had been conducted of the borough’s polling district boundaries and its polling places. The first such review took place in 2007. He summarised the feedback from the consultation exercise which commenced in August 2011 and the changes now being put forward. The Electoral Services Manager was pleased to report that St John’s Evangelist Church Hall, Crawford Avenue would once more be available for use as a polling station for voters in Polling District NSU5 following its recent refurbishment removing the need for temporary huts in this location. He also referred to the forthcoming By Election in Wembley Central Ward scheduled for 22^nd December 2011 and the intention to use Ealing Road Library as a polling place for voters in Polling Districts (NWC2) which it was felt would be more convenient instead of the usual practice of placing temporary huts placed in the library car park which would prove difficult to keep warm.

In considering the list of proposed polling places, questions were raised on the proposed polling station for the new Luma apartments on Central Way, NW10. Additionally, a view was put that future consideration should be given to avoiding the use of schools as polling stations where possible and discussion also took place on the degree to which efficiency savings could be made by reducing the number of polling stations across the borough without significantly inconveniencing voters.

RESOLVED:-

(i)         that Atlip Road, 6 Mount Pleasant and those properties in Ealing Road between the corner of Mount Pleasant and the Piccadilly underground line (Hayes Court, Windsor Court and a small number of other properties) be transferred from polling district NAL2 to NAL3 in Alperton ward;

(ii)        that those properties in Allington Road and Kilburn Lane, currently in polling district HQP3 in Queen’s Park ward, be transferred into polling district HQP5;

(iii)       that polling districts NWC1 and NWC5 in Wembley Central ward, both of which use Copland School as a polling station, be merged into a single district;

(iv)       that St Andrew and St Francis School replace the Learie Constantine Centre as the polling place for polling district CWG1 in Willesden Green ward;

(v)        that polling districts CTO1 and CTO2 in Tokyngton ward remain separate;

(vi)       that polling districts CST5 and CST6 in Stonebridge ward on Hillside be merged and that the Stonebridge Hub be the designated polling place for the new polling district;

(vii)      that a new polling district be created in Stonebridge ward to include the properties in Abbey Road, Agate Close, Toucan Close and Twyford Abbey Road;

(viii)     that it be noted that an alternative to the Neasden Library building in polling district CDU1 in Dudden Hill ward may be required;

(ix)       that the polling places approved at this meeting be adopted for the Greater London Authority and London Mayor elections in May 2012;

(x)        that in the event of any polling station becoming unavailable before the May 2012 elections, authority be delegated to the Democratic Services Manager to make any further changes required to the polling places and stations for these elections in consultation with the leaders of the three political groups on the Council.