Review of Polling Districts and Places 2023-24

Review details

Every Council is required to undertake and complete a review of all polling districts and polling places within its administrative boundary at least once every five years.  The last reviews for Broadland District Council and South Norfolk Council were completed in 2019. 

Definitions

  • Polling district - the geographical area created by sub-dividing an electoral area.  All wards within Broadland and South Norfolk are divided into polling districts, which form the basis upon which the register of electors is produced.  Most polling districts are defined by parish boundaries but there are exceptions.  Unless there are special circumstances, each parish must be in a separate polling district.
     
  • Polling place - the designated area for a polling district in which a polling station is located. 
     
  • Polling station - the actual area where the process of voting takes place, e.g. a room in a community centre or school.

The aim of the review is to ensure that:

  • Electors in the constituency have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances. 
     
  • As far as is reasonable and practicable, the polling places they are responsible for are accessible to all electors, and when considering the designation of a polling place, must have regard to the accessibility needs of disabled persons.

The review will not consider parish, ward boundaries, divisions or parliamentary constituencies.

We are now looking for your thoughts and views about our existing arrangements to help us decide what, if any, changes should be made in this review.

The Polling District Schedules showing the existing polling districts and polling places (stations) for the entire district are available for each council below.  This gives the location of our current polling stations that we plan on using at all future elections.

Review Timetable

September - December 2022 Undertake preliminary review of current polling stations and polling districts and seek ARO’s comments on existing arrangements.
19 October 2023 Publish notice of review.
19 October 2023 -23 November 2023 Publication of Acting Returning Officer's (ARO's) comments and proposals.   Start of public consultation on existing arrangements and any proposals for change.
27 November 2023 Publication of responses to ARO proposals and any alternative proposals received arising from the consultation.
December 2023

Electoral Arrangements Committee to consider ARO's proposals, all representations and alternative proposals.  Committee to agree final proposals.  If necessary, consult on any revised proposals.

BDC committee - 7 December 2023
SNC committee - 15 December 2023
December 2023 If necessary, consult on any revised proposals and publish any comments received.
January 2024

If required, Electoral Arrangements Committee to consider comments on any revised proposals and agree final proposals

SNC committee - January 2024
BDC committee - January 2024
1 February 2024 Register of Electors to be published with the agreed polling places and stations.

How to respond

You can submit comments on your current polling stations or indicate whether there are any other suitable premises that could be used.

When making representations it would be helpful if you could provide as much relevant information as you can about your current polling place/station, including:

  • how convenient (or not) the location is in relation to where you live
  • whether there is adequate parking
  • what access is available for disabled and/or wheelchair users
  • how suitable overall it is for voting

Comments can be made in the following ways:

Email us: elections@southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk

You can also write to us:

Electoral Services Team
Horizon Centre
Broadland Business Park
Peachman Way
Norwich
NR7 0WF

The deadline for commenting on the review is 23 November 2023.

Trevor Holden

Electoral Registration Officer

Review documentation

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