Council carries out review of polling districts

Tuesday, 3 October 2023 09:25

By David Murphy

Bury Council is carrying out a review of all polling districts and locations in the borough in advance of next year’s elections.

The aim is to identify the most suitable venues and remedy any problems people may have encountered at current polling stations.

Each of the 17 wards in Bury is divided into polling districts, each with a number of polling places. These can be based in a school, a pub or a church hall, or any suitable public building.

Polling stations are then set up on Election Day in these places. There are currently 85 venues across the borough used as polling stations at elections.

Poll cards are delivered to all households before every election which show voters where their polling stations are. There are currently 145,838 people on Bury’s electoral register and, of those, 35,135 are postal voters.

Lynne Ridsdale, Bury Council’s chief executive and returning officer, said: “We use polling places that are as accessible as possible, and we provide ramps for wheelchair users wherever needed. We are also trying to restrict the use of schools whenever possible to avoid disruption for pupils and parents.

“There are Bury Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority Mayoral elections scheduled for 2 May 2024. There will also be a General Election before January 2025, so it’s important that our polling stations are fit for purpose.”

The closing date for views and comments is 10 November 2023. Details of the current arrangements and how you can comment on them for the review can be viewed on the council’s website at https://www.bury.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/elections-and-voting/polling-places-and-polling-station-review-2023. Hard copies of all consultation documents are available at the reception desk in Bury Town Hall.

For further information, please contact Electoral Services on 0161 253 5252 or email electionservices@bury.gov.uk