Forest of Dean District Council to review polling districts, places and stations
Residents of the Forest of Dean are being asked to share their views of current polling districts, places and stations in the district as part of a new review.
The compulsory review will commence on 7 October and run until 15 November, with the intention of assessing current polling stations to ensure they are accessible to all residents within each polling district.
Andrew Knott, Returning Officer at Forest of Dean District Council, said:
“With local elections set to take place next year, this is the perfect time for this review to take place. If you have a suggestion or a query regarding your local polling station, now is the time to share your thoughts.
“We will be evaluating polling stations across the district to ensure they are accessible for all electors and to ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so.”
For more information and to view an interactive map of current polling districts and polling stations please visit – https://www.fdean.gov.uk/pollingreview/.
The map can also be viewed at the District Council’s Coleford office by appointment.
Accessibility to a polling station is determined by a number of factors including having accessible facilities for disabled electors and being located within a reasonable walking distance for most electors. There are also practical considerations that will be evaluated such as ensuring the station is geographically central for the majority of the electorate and that there is sufficient parking.
Residents are invited to submit their representations, comments or suggestions on current polling districts, places or stations by:
Online: https://www.fdean.gov.uk/pollingreview/
Email: [email protected]
Post: Electoral Services, Forest of Dean District Council, High Street, Coleford, GL16 8HG
These must be sent in by 5pm on Friday 15 November 2024. The report will then be presented to Full Council on Thursday 12 December 2024.
Contact Information
Forest of Dean Communications Team
Notes to editors
A polling district is a geographical area. Each parish/parish ward must be a separate polling district. A good starting point is to include the whole parish/parish ward as one polling district. If this is too large, in order to provide easy access, the area can be split into smaller polling districts. Forest of Dean is currently divided into 71 Polling Districts.
A polling place is the area or building in which a polling station is located and should be within the polling district unless it is not possible to find a suitable place.
A polling station is the actual room or building where polling takes place. This information is available on the notice of poll and communicated to electors via their poll card.