Polling district and polling place review 2024

The council has a duty to divide its area into polling districts and designate polling places for each district and review them every five years.

The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 introduced a change to the timing of the compulsory reviews. The next compulsory review must take place within a 16-month window starting on 1 October 2023 and ending on 31 January 2025.

Review period

The review period in Bromley will begin on Friday 25 October 2024 with the publication of a formal Notice of Review (PDF - 88.29KB) inviting comments and views from that date until Friday 29 November 2024. The review will end with the publication of the council’s conclusions.

What is being reviewed?

The aim of the review is to ensure that the polling districts and polling places in Bromley are effectively meet the needs of voters and covers the following:

• The polling district boundaries within each ward of each constituency.
• The location of the polling place in each polling district.
• The accessibility of each polling place.
• Buildings that might be considered for use as polling stations.

This is not a review of the:

• The ward boundaries.
• The constituency boundaries.

What does the review involve?

The review process starts with the official Notice of Review, which includes details of when and where comments or representations can be made.

Any elector in the borough can make a representation in relation to the size and boundaries of polling districts and the location and suitability of polling places.

The council also welcomes representations from any elected members in the area, political representatives and any person or body with expertise relating to access for persons with any type of disability.

The (Acting) Returning Officers must respond to any constituency that falls wholly or partially within Bromley. Their comments will be published on the website.

What’s the difference between a polling district, place and station?

• A polling district is a geographical sub-division of an electoral area, i.e., a UK Parliamentary constituency, a borough ward or an electoral division.
• A polling place is normally the building or place in the polling district that residents can find and recognise. There is no legal definition of what a polling place is and could be defined as tightly as a particular building or as widely as the entire polling district.
• A polling station is the room or area within the polling place where the process of voting actually takes place.

What makes a suitable polling place?

Location:

• Locations should not be changed without good reason.
• Is it reasonably accessible within the polling district? 
• Does it avoid barriers for the voter such as steep hills, railway lines or major roads? 
• Are there convenient transport links?

Size:

• Can it accommodate more than one polling station, if required? 
• If several polling stations are required, is the polling place big enough to accommodate all voters going in and out of the polling stations, even where there is a high turnout? 
• Double polling stations in the same polling place are often used when there are high numbers of voters.

Suitability:

• Is the building available in the event of any unscheduled elections? 
• Is there any possibility that the building may be demolished as part of a new development? 
• Is the building accessible to those entitled to attend the polling place?
• Are there facilities for polling staff such as toilets, kitchen facilities, heating, lighting and suitable furniture?

The use of schools

We use a small number of schools as polling places. Wherever possible, we will seek to find alternative venues to schools and welcome feedback to alternative venues that may be considered. However, where there are no alternative venues, we are happy to work with the school to minimise any disruption on polling day.

Schools currently used as polling places, have received notification of the dates of the next scheduled elections to be held in the borough, for the next 10 years to allow Head teachers to plan for these dates in advance.

Review timetable

Comments and initial proposals of the Acting Returning Officer

The Acting Returning Officer has made some comments and initial proposals on the current polling districts and polling places used at the UK Parliamentary (General) Election on 4 July 2024. Maps showing the current and proposed polling district boundaries and polling places are available.

If you require any further information on the proposals, please contact the Electoral Office.

How to have your say

You can respond to the review by:

• Email: carol.ling@bromley.gov.uk
• Post: Bromley Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, BR1 3UH

We will publish all comments and representations received on the council website.

The deadline for comments and representations is midnight on 29 November 2024.