Notice of Polling Districts and Polling Places Review

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 18C of the Representation of the People Act 1983 Torridge District Council (the Council) is to carry out a review of its polling districts and polling places.

Relevant information regarding the current arrangements and proposals for changes can be found below or can be inspected at Riverbank House, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2QG

Polling District Review Proposals 2023 (PDF, 114 KB)

The (Acting) Returning Officer (ARO) for the future Parliamentary constituencies of Torridge & Tavistock County will comment on the proposals. Those representations will be published on the Council's website and will be available for inspection at Torridge District Council Offices, Riverbank House, Bideford, EX39 2QG in accordance with the timetable set out below.

Electors within the Council area or within a UK Parliamentary constituency which has any part in the authority may make a representation. We invite comments from all electors regarding the convenience of voting at polling stations currently used for elections and would welcome suggestions for alternative sites.

The Council would also welcome the views of all residents, particularly disabled residents, or any person or body with expertise in access for persons with any type of disability, on the proposals, ARO's representations or any other related matters.

Anybody making representations should, if possible, give alternative places that may be used as polling places.

Comments and representations may be submitted as follows:

By post: Electoral Services, Torridge District Council, Riverbank House, Bideford, EX39 2QG

By email: elections@torridge.gov.uk

All representations must be made by no later than 2 January 2024.

The outcome of the review will be published by the Council in January 2024 and will be available for inspection on the Council's website and Torridge District Council Offices, Riverbank House, Bideford, EX39 2QG.

Anybody making representations should be aware that, upon completion of the review, all correspondence and representations received must, by law, also be published.

Dated: 21^st November 2023

Steve Hearse

Chief Executive/Returning Officer

Torridge District Council

Notes and definitions: 

Polling Districts

Polling districts are the building blocks for parliamentary elections. Each parish is to be a separate polling district, unless there are special circumstances. These special circumstances could arise if, for example, the parish has only a small number of electors and it is not practicable for the parish to have its own polling district. There can be more than one polling district in the parish, e.g. if the parish is warded.

Polling Places

A polling place is the building or area in which polling stations will be selected by the (Acting) Returning Officer. If the entire polling district is designated as the polling place, there is flexibility to change the polling station to another building in the polling district when a particular venue is unavailable. This is most likely to happen when an election is called at short notice. A polling place must be within the area of its respective polling district, unless special circumstances make it desirable to designate it wholly or partly outside the district (e.g. parish meetings where they are very small and do not have a suitable polling place).

Polling stations

This is the room or building within the polling place where voting takes place. Unlike polling districts and polling places, which are fixed by the local authority, polling stations are chosen by the Returning Officer for the election. The voting location must be convenient for all voters and accessible for disabled voters, as far as practicable in the circumstances.