The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 requires local authorities to complete a review of all parliamentary polling districts and polling places at least once every five years.
- A polling district is the geographical area created by sub-dividing a constituency or ward.
- A polling place is the building or area in which a polling station is located.
- A polling station is the actual room or area where voting takes place.
The delivery of the next UK Parliamentary General Election must take place before 28 January 2025, the recommendations for changes to the UK Parliamentary constituency boundaries have been published by the Boundary Commissions for England (Opens in new window). It is expected that they will be made by the end of October 2023, with UK Parliamentary general elections held after this date to be run on the new boundaries. The link above provides the new constituency boundaries that come into force at the end of October 2023.
The statutory responsibility for reviewing UK Parliamentary polling districts and places rests with each relevant local authority in Great Britain, for any part of the constituency that is situated within its area.
Local authorities must comply with the following legislative requirements regarding the designation of polling districts and polling places (The Representation of the People Act s18A):
- the council must designate a polling place for each polling district, unless the size or other circumstances of a polling district are such that the situation of the polling stations does not materially affect the convenience of the electors;
- the polling place must be an area in the district unless special circumstances make it desirable to designate an area wholly or partly outside the district (for example, if no accessible polling place can be identified in the district);
- the polling place must be small enough to indicate to electors in different parts of the district how they will be able to reach the polling station;
- comply with accessibility requirements.
The timing of compulsory reviews of UK Parliamentary polling districts and polling places is set by legislation (Section 17 Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (ERA 2013) amended the Representation of the People Act 1983 (RPA 1983) s.18C).
The next review can commence on 1 October 2023 and be completed by 31 January 2025. The review process, from the publication of the notice of the review until the publication of the documents at the end, must take place within the specified period.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s timetable for the review is as follows:
| Commencement of review | Monday 2 October 2023 |
| Consultation period | Monday 2 to Monday 30 October 2023 |
| Consultation period ends | Monday 30 October 2023 |
| Publication of revised register | Friday 1 December 2023 |
| Conclusions of review published | Monday 5 February 2024 |
Please note: All written representations must be received by Monday 30 October 2023.
Have your say
Stoke-on-Trent City Council welcomes all representations from any person or body who may wish to comment or make proposals on any aspect of the matters under review.
You can have your say by answering our online questionnaire below.
Polling Station Review Questionnaire
You can also obtain a paper questionnaire from the Electoral Services team on 01782 237169 or by emailing elections@stoke.gov.uk.
All representations that are received with regard to the review of polling places will be published at local council offices and online and are available for inspection.