Amber Valley Borough Council is undertaking an interim review of its polling districts and polling places.
A copy of the formal Notice of Review can be viewed below.
Every local authority is legally required to undertake a compulsory review of its polling districts and polling places every five years. In addition to compulsory reviews, local authorities may also conduct additional reviews at other points, depending on local circumstances.
Amber Valley last reviewed its polling districts in March 2024. This was the compulsory review as set out in the relevant legislation. Since this time, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) have finalised their revised County Division boundaries ahead of next May’s Derbyshire County Council elections. The revised boundaries necessitate the undertaking of an interim polling district and polling places review as the revised divisions split existing polling district boundaries in some places.
Additionally, despite the last polling district and polling place review having only been concluded earlier this year, since this time, two sets of Borough wide elections have been held, including the General Election in July 2024. This has allowed us to collate feedback from voters regarding their polling arrangements. It is therefore intended to take the opportunity presented by the need to undertake an interim review to amend arrangements in a small number of areas. Similarly, one polling station is no longer available meaning that replacement arrangements need to be put in place.
Furthermore, Electoral Commission guidance requires the polling place allocated to be within the polling district boundary, unless special circumstances make it necessary for the polling place to be located outside the polling district, for example if no suitable location can be identified within the polling district. Currently, there are a number of allocated polling places located outside the polling district boundary and it is felt that it is appropriate to use this interim review to rectify this where at all possible so that polling places are solely located outside the polling district where special circumstances apply. Doing so will also allow for some polling districts to be merged together where their electoral arrangements and polling place will be identical going forward.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 15 November 2024 | Formal notice of review and commencement of public consultation period |
| 20 December 2024 | End of public consultation period |
| 22 January 2025 | Final proposals considered by Full Council |
| 3 February 2025 | Publish revised register of electors |
Every person should be able to vote without facing barriers. As part of the compulsory review that was finalised in March 2024, we considered the accessibility of each polling place.
This interim review proposes using two new venues – Charles Hill Centre in Loscoe and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Butterley Hill. Both venues have been visited in person by the Head of Elections & Democratic Services and are considered to be suitable when evaluated against the Electoral Commission’s evaluation checklist.
A detailed summary of the council’s proposals can be viewed below. The electorate figures provided can be broken down to street level upon request.
The council’s consultation on its proposals began on 15 November 2024. Submissions must be received by 20 December 2024.
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.
Please note that changes to ward, parish or parish ward, county division or constituency boundaries are not covered by this review.
The postal address for submissions is:
Electoral Services
Town Hall
Market Place
Ripley
DE5 3BT
Email submissions can be sent to: elections@ambervalley.gov.uk
Please note that, upon completion of the review, all correspondence and representations received must, by law, also be published.
Following the public consultation, the final proposals will be considered by Full Council on 22 January 2025. If adopted, the register of electors will be revised accordingly on 3 February 2025.
Contact the team directly on 01773 841458 or email elections@ambervalley.gov.uk
