The majority of places used for polling stations in Tendring are accessible and reasonably easy to reach for electors in the neighbourhoods in which they live.
This is the conclusion of a comprehensive review by Tendring District Council (TDC).
TDC will now implement a series of recommendations following its Polling Districts and Places Review, which must take place every five years to ensure polling places are located appropriately to secure equitable access to voting.
The review, which began earlier this year and included two public consultations, assessed the appropriate sub-division of the electoral areas in the district, taking account of parliamentary, county council divisions, district wards and parish council boundaries and then the polling place arrangements for each of those sub-divisions.
While the majority of the venues used for polling stations will remain unchanged, reflecting their continued suitability and accessibility, some changes have been made to better align polling places with changed circumstances since the last review in 2018.
A particular change is the new electoral division boundaries for Essex County Council elections. These elections are scheduled on 1 May next year.
Certain of the old sub-divisions will be merged, while others will be split to accommodate local geographical features, such as major roads.
Additionally, new polling station venues have been proposed in areas where accessibility issues were identified.
Ian Davidson, Chief Executive of TDC, expressed his gratitude for the public's input during the consultation phases.
"The feedback we received has been invaluable in shaping these proposals,” he said.
“Our goal is to ensure that every eligible voter in Tendring has convenient access to a polling station. This should be within the polling district in which they live.”
Residents can check the new polling district and places on the council’s website at https://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/content/2024-polling-districts.
The review hasn’t been able to find solutions to all the issues found and in a number of cases a suitable venue for a polling station has not been identified for a particular sub-division of an electoral area.
Details of these are available in the report and we would welcome suggestions from the public and venue operators to identify suitable premises in those areas.
