Interim polling district and polling places review

I wish to submit my comments on the Interim Review of Polling Places.

For the Holyport Polling District MBR2 in the Bray Ward, I believe that the Interim Polling station for the PCC elections May 2021 at Holyport Memorial Hall, Moneyrow Green, Holyport should be the preferred option rather than reverting back to Holyport Primary School.

The Holyport Memorial Hall provides better and safer parking.  With the Holyport Primary School, there is always a lot of traffic to navigate both as a pedestrian and car driver from the school, local shops (especially the corner shop) and doctors’ surgery.  And at dropping off and picking up times, it is impossible to park your car close to the school and can involve quite a bit of walking if you have disability issues.  

The Acting Returning Officer says the Memorial Hall would require most voters to drive.  I would comment that with the Holyport Primary School a lot of people do not walk there anyway but usually vote on their drive to or return from work, parking up on the roads outside the school before returning home or continuing onto work so a short diversion to the Memorial Hall, which all residents are familiar with, would not be an issue.

I hope you will take my comments into consideration.

The proposed change to move the voting location to Boulters Lock Car Park.

This is a paying car park so will all voters have to pay?
If so this is not acceptable.
Also a mobile unit - what happens if bad weather?
No place for voters to queue.
Not acceptable

Clewer New Town, Spital and Clewer Village

WCE1, WCE2 and WCE3

I am happy to support the changes to polling stations proposed in Clewer East. I agree with the return to Clewer First School as it is within the polling district. The Scout hut in Green Lane is a better choice than Kipling Court, for safety and access reasons and is very nearby.  The Grenadier Club is a suitable alternative to Clewer Parish Hall and is accessible.

I’m getting in touch as Chair of Governors of Holyport Primary School to respond to the polling places review that is currently taking place.

Holyport Primary has been used in the past as a polling station, so governors and senior leaders in the school discussed the potential future use of the school at our full governing body (FGB) meeting last night.

We appreciate the importance of access to polling stations, but our view is that Holyport Primary is not a suitable location for a polling station for the following reasons.

*    It is disruptive to the school, putting additional pressure on staff where a tight budget means no capacity for additional workload around logistics and ensuring the rest of the school remains secure, plus the negative impact on pupil’s learning.
*    There are additional risks around safeguarding with members of the public on school grounds.
*    In addition, as noted in the Returning Officer comments, there is no public parking at school, and parking on local roads is difficult especially during school drop-off and pick-up times.

It was raised at FGB that both the Holyport War Memorial hall and the Holyport scout hut have a great deal of space, good access for those with mobility difficulties, plenty of parking and are less than half a mile from the school so could be considered as alternative locations.

I am writing with regards Bray ward / Holyport polling station and would like to support the previous submissions supporting the use of the Memorial Hall over Holyport Primary school.  

Using the school is very disruptive to a large number of staff, pupils and families, as well as clogging the local roads with parked cars.  The Memorial Hall is far more suitable, has good parking, and is well known and easy to access.  I don’t believe the numbers of people walking would be impacted by the short move – and many drive in any case.  

For the good of the education of the local children and their teachers and carers, I think the move is more than justifiable.  (I write this as both a former governor and former parent of Holyport Primary).