Interim minor review of Polling Districts and Polling Places/Stations 2022

General Information

This interim review of polling districts and places affects only two polling districts in the St. Thomas Ward (MB and MC) and two polling districts in the Topsham Ward (NB and ND).

In St. Thomas Ward it has become necessary to review polling arrangements because during the lead up to the elections held in May 2021, there were concerns raised relating to the use of West Exe Nursery School in Cowick Street, as a polling station. The school advised that layout arrangements have changed and that they will not be able to continue to accommodate a polling station and remain open. These issues were again raised in May 2022 and it is now time to consider alternative arrangements.

With respect to the above, it is suggested that MB and MC polling districts are combined and that the electors are transferred to St. Thomas Church Hall, a few hundred yards away in Cowick Street. This would result in an electorate of about 2,800, which would necessitate two polling stations being put into operation within the church hall.

The issue in the Topsham Ward relates solely to the boundary between NB and ND polling districts and is simply an opportunity to redefine the boundary and take account of the subsequent housing development, which has taken place over the past 3-4 years. This will provide an opportunity to provide a more convenient polling station for some electors. 

 

• The Parliamentary polling districts and places are replicated for local government elections.

• The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 requires each local authority to undertake a review every five years. The last statutory review was undertaken in 2019.

• The final decision on the situation of polling stations rests with the Returning Officer.

• It should be noted that City Ward, County Division and Parliamentary Constituency boundaries cannot be changed under this process.

• A polling district is a geographical sub-division of an electoral area, i.e. a UK Parliamentary constituency or a ward, or an electoral division.

• A polling place is a geographical area in which a polling station is located. In Exeter polling places are the same as the polling district to allow a greater degree of flexibility in deciding where a polling station should be.

• A polling station is the actual room or building where the process of voting takes place, and must be located within the polling place designated for the particular polling district. The Returning Officer for the particular election must provide a sufficient number of polling stations, and allot the electors to those polling stations in such manner as he or she thinks the most convenient.

 

List of Current Polling Stations in St. Thomas and Topsham Wards

 St.Thomas Ward

Station	Code	Voters
Montgomery Primary School, Redvers Road, Exeter, EX4 1BS	MA	1901
St Thomas Church Hall, Church Road, Exeter, EX2 9BQ	MB	2120
West Exe Nursery School, Cowick Street, Exeter, EX4 1HL	MC	713
St Thomas Baptist Church, Dorset Avenue, Exeter, EX4 1LZ	MD	1747
Bowhill Primary School, Buddle Lane, Exeter, EX4 1JT	ME	869

 

Topsham Ward

Station	Code	Voters
Matthews Hall, Fore Street, Topsham, Exeter, EX3 0HF	NA* ^	3031
Topsham Town AFC, Exeter Road, Exeter, EX3 OLT	NB*	1563
100 Club, Wear Barton Road, Exeter, EX2 7EH	NC	1685
Newcourt Community Centre, Blakeslee Drive, Exeter, EX2 7FN	ND*	1339

 

*Polling station located in East Devon Constituency.

^Double station

 

Current Arrangement of Polling Districts

 

Maps are available to download at the end of this section.