Review of Polling Districts and Places

Date published: 12th November 2018

The locations of some polling district boundaries and some polling places in North Norfolk could change as part of a regular review which assesses the suitability of where people vote in elections.

But before those suggested changes can come into force, a public consultation led by North Norfolk District Council is being held to ask people what they think and whether they have comments or suggestions.

Each local authority area is divided into polling districts, with one or more polling districts making up a district ward. A polling place is an area or building within a polling district in which a polling station is situated.

A separate process led by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England decided in 2017 that from the next North Norfolk District Council elections in May 2019, there would be 40 councillors representing North Norfolk across 32 wards instead of 48 councillors across 34 wards.

As part of the new Review of Polling Districts and Places, the vast majority (114 out of 138) of polling districts, places and stations in the District are not identified for any change.

Of the remaining 24 polling districts, some changes are proposed, summarised as follows:

• 8 propose no change to the polling district or polling place, but make alternative proposals for the polling station based on a range of factors including accessibility, more suitable new building, or cost
• 10 propose minor changes to polling district boundaries (all in towns to reflect new district and parish ward boundaries) but with no changes to the location of polling stations for the majority of electors in those areas
• 6 propose changes to polling district boundaries (all in towns to reflect the new district and parish ward boundaries) and alternative locations for polling stations based on a combination of the new ward boundaries, accessibility and more suitable buildings.

All of the relevant information about proposed changes and how you can take part in the consultation can be found at www.north-norfolk.gov.uk/polling-stations-consultation.

The deadline for consultation responses is December 31, 2018.