Council decides changes to polling stations
News release issued:
Voters in some wards in the district will be using a different polling station at any election from March.
Wyre Forest District Council recently reviewed polling districts and polling places to make sure all electors have reasonably accessible facilities. The council is required to carry out a review every five years. It took the predicted growth in population and new guidance from the Electoral Commission into consideration.
The review was discussed at a meeting of full Council on Wednesday 13 December. Councillors decided to change the location of four polling stations.
Part of Blakebrook & Habberley South ward in Kidderminster (BHS-5) will vote at Baxter College, Habberley Road. These electors voted at Habberley Social Club in 2023.
Parts of the Offmore & Comberton ward in Kidderminster (OFC-3 and OFC-4) will vote at the Offmore Church Hall, Gray Close, instead of Offmore Church where they have voted for several years. The new location is next door to the Church.
Part of the Mitton ward in Stourport-on-Severn (MI-SN) will vote at Stourport Community Centre, Lower Lickhill Road. For many years, these electors have voted at Stourport Primary School. The change of location will mean there can be a double polling station. This will meet the Electoral Commission’s guidance on the maximum size of polling stations.
Part of the Areley Kings & Riverside ward in Stourport (AKR-SC) will return to vote at Severn’s Club, Lickhill Road. This is the former Stourport Workmen’s Club where electors voted for several years before the club closed and later re-opened under its new name. These electors voted at Stourport Community Centre in 2023.
The Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer for Wyre Forest, Ian Miller, said:
“The changes decided by the Council mean that some electors will vote at different locations in May 2024, when the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia will be chosen and elections to Kidderminster Town Council will also take place.
“If you vote in person, information on the location of your polling station will be on the poll card letter that will be sent to you towards the end of March. I urge all voters to study that information carefully. In March and April we will issue further reminders on social media. On Thursday 2 May there will be signage at locations affected by the changes so that anyone who mistakenly goes to the wrong location will be directed to the correct polling station.”
The new arrangements take effect from 1 March 2024.