Polling district and polling places review
To ensure that all electors have reasonable facilities for voting, we are inviting you to make comments and complaints, so that we can review our polling districts and places. The reviews take place at least once every five years, and are in accordance with the Representation of the People Act 1983. Our consultation period will remain open from 16 October until 25 November 2024.
Review of polling districts and polling placesUnder the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013, the council has a duty to divide the city into polling districts and to designate a polling place for each of these districts. And every local authority must complete a review of its polling districts and polling places by 31 January 2025. Subsequent reviews must be undertaken at least once every five years.
The next scheduled review is due to start on 16 October and ends on 25 November 2024.
If you wish to make any comments or have any suggestions regarding the current arrangements, please respond via our online consultation.
What does the review involve?
The review must be carried out to make sure that all electors have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances.
On starting the review we will publish a notice with details of the review, including when and where comments or complaints can be made.
Any elector in the constituency may make a complaint in relation to the size and boundaries of polling districts and the location and suitability of polling places. We also welcome comments or complaints from any councillors in the area, past or potential candidates, local political parties and indeed any person or body with expertise in access for persons with any type of disability.
On completion of the review we will publish all correspondence sent and received, details of the results of the review, including any issues raised and any changes which have been approved, giving the reasons for its decisions.
What is a polling district?
A polling district is a geographical sub-division of an electoral area.
For voting purposes, each parliamentary constituency and every local government ward is divided into one or more polling districts. Wherever possible, the polling districts for local government elections mirror those agreed for parliamentary elections.
Leicester city has 21 wards divided into polling districts, which vary in size and electorate.
What is a polling place?
A polling place is a geographical area in which a polling station is located. However, there is no legal definition of what a polling place is. It could be as large as the polling district or as small as a particular building.
What is a polling station?
A polling station is where the voting actually takes place and must be located within the polling place designated for that particular polling district.
When deciding which buildings to use as polling stations, we try to make sure that they are located as conveniently as possible for the majority of electors and that they are accessible to everyone, particularly anyone with a disability.
Thought must be given, for example, to the distance people have to travel to vote and any barriers to them getting there, such as major roads or rivers.
Guidelines
The following considerations have been taken into account when allocating polling districts and polling places. Comments made during the consultation should keep these in mind. The first two are required by electoral law and the others are best practice:
- The council must seek to ensure that all electors have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances.
- The council must seek to ensure that so far as is reasonable and practicable every polling place is accessible to electors who are disabled.
- Ideally, the polling place should be in its own polling district.
- Where possible, “natural” boundaries should be used, for example railways and major roads.
- All properties on a minor road or estate should ideally be in the same polling district.
- Polling places should be “logical”; that is, electors should not have to pass another polling place to get to their own.
The ward maps show the locations of the polling stations and ward boundaries.
Abbey
Aylestone
Beaumont Leys
Belgrave
Braunstone
Castle
Evington
Eyres Monsell
Fosse
Humberstone
Knighton
North Evington
Rushey Mead
Saffron
Spinney Hills
Stoneygate
Thurncourt
Troon
Westcotes
Western
Wycliffe