To approve a new scheme of polling districts, polling places and polling stations.

The council has a duty to divide its area into Polling Districts and to designate Polling Places for each district and review these every 5 years.

The review is designed to see if the polling districts and polling places in Herefordshire are arranged to suit the needs of voters and covers the following:

·         the polling district boundaries within each ward in the borough

·         the location of the polling places and stations in each polling district

·         the access to each polling station

The council cannot review the ward boundaries or the constituency boundaries.

As a result of the review we are not proposing changes to polling districts or places but there are some changes to polling stations proposed.

That:

1)    no changes be made to the existing Polling Districts as set out in appendix A;

2)    each entire Polling District continues to be designated as the Polling Place for that Polling District; and

3)    Changes to the following polling stations (as detailed at appendix A) be approved:

The Whitehouse Community Hub

Garway Community Centre

Westfields Hall

The Kinnersley Arms

Winforton Community Hall

The Forge

The Gateway Centre

Riverside Primary School

Kington Town Football Club

Ledbury Community Hall

Christ Church

Holy Trinity Church

Eastnor Cricket Club

Ledbury Swimming Pool

The Garron Centre

The Belmont Community Centre

The Three Counties Hotel

Weston-under-Penyard Village Hall

Larruperz Community Centre

Ross Swimming Pool

Ross-on-Wye Rugby Club

The decision maker can, if they wish, approve alternative options for polling districts, polling places and polling stations, but in doing so they would need to comply with statutory guidance and decisions would also need to be supported by demonstrable evidence.