Review of polling districts and places

West Northamptonshire Council has a statutory duty to undertake periodic reviews of polling districts and polling places. This is to ensure they have accessible and convenient facilities for voters.

Key terms

Polling district

A polling district is a geographical area which is used for election purposes only. All voters living in a certain polling district all go to the same building, called a polling place, to cast their votes.

Polling place

A polling place is a building or area in which polling stations will be located. As far as possible, these should be situated within the polling district for which they are designated. 

In exceptional circumstances, the polling place may be designated outside the polling district.

Polling station

A polling station is a room or building where voting actually takes place. There can be more than one polling station in a polling place, which is common in many areas. 

Wherever possible, there should be no more than 2500 electors allotted to a polling station.

Purpose of the review

The main purpose of the review was to help make sure polling places suit the needs of those coming to vote as far as is reasonable. This includes making sure polling places are accessible, and meet the needs of people with disabilities.

The review also took account of new ward boundaries that come into effect for the local government and parish elections held on 1 May 2025. 

We needed to ensure the new wards are subdivided into smaller voting areas called polling districts, and that there was a polling station allocated to each of those polling districts. 

Some polling districts, particularly in urban areas, may have shared a polling station with other polling districts.

This survey closed at midnight on Friday 3 January 2025. Following the consultation, the responses will be considered by the Democracy and Standards Committee at its meeting on Thursday 23 January 2025.

Completion of the review

The Democracy and Standards Committee met on 23 January to consider the consultation responses, and decide on the designation of polling districts and polling places. 

The report submitted to the committee is set out below:

The Committee agreed the recommendations and the review is now concluded. In accordance with the requirements for such reviews, the Council has published the report (see above) which includes reasons for the decisions reached.

Details of the actual designations of polling districts and polling places agreed as a result of the review are set out at Appendix A to the report. Consultation data gathered as part of the consultation exercise is set out in Appendix B to the report.

Additional correspondence which must be published is set out below:

Related documentation

Last updated 19 May 2026