Islington Polling District and Polling Places 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.

Legal requirements

In accordance with the requirements of section 18C of the Representation of the People Act 1983, notice is hereby given that the London Borough of Islington Council is conducting a review of polling districts and polling places used in connection with Parliamentary elections held within the borough of Islington.

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

Our review period began on Friday 6 September 2024 with the publication of a formal Notice of Review inviting comments and observations for six weeks from Friday 6 September 2024 until Friday 18 October 2024.

The Polling District and Polling Place review ends with the publication of the council's conclusions.

What the review is for

The review is designed to see if the polling districts and polling places in the Parliamentary Constituencies within the London Borough of Islington suit the needs of voters and cover:

• the polling district boundaries within each ward in the borough
• the location of the polling places and stations in each polling district
• access to each polling station.

This is not a review of the:

• borough ward boundaries
• Parliamentary Constituency boundaries.

About the review process

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 within Islington 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 in access for persons with any type of disability.

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

Differences between a polling district, place and station

• Polling district is a geographical sub-division of an electoral area - a UK Parliamentary constituency, a borough ward or an electoral division.
• Polling place is a geographical area in which a polling station is located - there is no legal definition of what a polling place is and the geographical area could be defined as tightly as a particular building or as widely as the entire polling district.
• Polling station is the actual area where the process of voting 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?

Review timetable

• Friday 6 September 2024
  • Publication of Notice of Polling District and Polling Place Review 2023/24 (official start of review)
  • Start of consultation period - six weeks
• Friday 18 October 2024 - Close of consultation period
• Tuesday 28 January 2025 - Report to Audit Committee

How to have your say

You can respond to the review by:

• Email: electoral.services@islington.gov.uk
• Post: Islington Town Hall, Upper Street, London, N1 2UD.

The deadline for comments and representations is midnight on Friday 18 October 2024.

Contact us

If you have any questions about the review or would like support to respond, contact Electoral Services by:

• Email: electoral.services@islington.gov.uk
• Phone: 020 7527 3110.