Polling district / area: Dogsthorpe, Park, Hamptons
Date submitted: 10 August 2024
Comments / issue: I am content with the polling stations in Dogsthorpe although I would like to see Dogsthorpe Community centre brought back into use as soon as practicable. I am aware, however, that Park Ward and Hampton and Hargate continue to have issues with polling stations and I will value this being addressed before the Mayoral elections which are set to take place next May.
Response: Spoke in person and advised that we will continually monitor all of our polling stations and if more suitable venues become available then these will be evaluated accordingly.
Name: Clerk to Peakirk Parish Council
Polling district / area: Peakirk
Date submitted: 12 August 2024
Comments / issue: Just out of interest which addresses are these? GLC PEA Peakirk Village Hall, St Pegas Road, Peakirk, Peterborough PE6 7NF 30.
Response: PEA covers the Parish of Peakirk. GLC contains the following 18 properties: (Hurn Rd & Lincoln Rd). Following the Parliamentary boundary review that came into force this year, it is proposed that electors from GLC will vote at Glinton Village Hall for future elections as GLC now falls under NW Cambs constituency and Glinton & Castor ward (Glinton Village Hall is the closest polling station for these electors that falls within the correct voting area).
Name: Wansford Parish Council
Polling district / area: Wansford
Date submitted: 13 August 2024
Comments / issue: The response from Wansford Parish Council, is that they are all happy with the current process.
Polling district / area: Hamptons HAH3
Date submitted: 13 August 2024
Comments / issue: I am a resident of Hampton Gardens and have opted to have a postal vote as the Polling Station is a 45 min walk for me. In order to get to the polling station I have to pass two Polling Stations for the Hampton Vale Ward. I have lived in five different council areas and have never ever been more than a 15 min walk from the Polling Station. Driving to the polling station is difficult since the only parking is at the Hargate shopping parade. There is no suitable bus service. The two wards for the Hamptons need to be looked at as they do not take into account the developments to the East Of the A15 London Road. No Polling Station east of the A15 is a disgrace and needs to be remedied as soon as possible. The turn out for this ward has been one of the lowest in the Peterborough City Council Area. Whilst at this review it would be an opportunity to look at the requirements for the Great Haddon Development currently under construction.
Response: We are currently in contact with several premises within the Hargate & Hempsted ward with the view of using these as polling stations for future elections which will hopefully make in person voting more convenient for its residents.
Polling district / area: Hamptons HAH3
Date submitted: 13 August 2024
Comments / issue: I live in Hampton Water, the polling station is all the way down in Hampton Vale which is very far, why not make the polling station Hampton Gardens School or St Johns Primary School so that we can walk there?
Response: We are currently in contact with several premises within the Hargate & Hempsted ward with the view of using these as polling stations for future elections which will hopefully make in person voting more convenient for its residents.
Polling district / area: Hamptons HAH3
Date submitted: 13 August 2024
Comments / issue: My polling station is at Hampton Hargate school where there at 2 wards being covered. The number of residents in Hampton Gardens, Woods and Beach has greatly increased and so there can be a big queue when voting. Also there are very few parking spaces so traffic is dreadful at times. I choose to do a postal vote in July because of the queue/parking but also because of the people canvassing outside by the doors. It makes me feel uncomfortable and intimidated.
Response: We are currently in contact with several premises within the Hargate & Hempsted ward with the view of using these as polling stations for future elections which will hopefully make in person voting more convenient for its residents.
Polling district / area: Park / Central
Date submitted: 13 August 2024
Comments / issue: Following your review of the current polling system in Peterborough, I would like to propose a change to the boundaries of districts. We have a very unique position in our residential street, Granville Street. We're on the odd side which makes us Park Ward, whereas even numbers are Central. We also have parking restrictions via permits which apply to both sides. The divide of wards causes issues with responsibility on all highway related concerns and nothing gets done as a result. It would make sense for all of Granville Street to be in the same ward, to have a unified approach on all political and regulatory issues.
Response: Unfortunately, we are unable to review ward boundaries as part of the Polling District, Polling Places and Polling Stations review. Ward boundaries can only be altered as part of an official review conducted by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE). The last LGBCE review for which the current boundaries are based was conducted in 2015 and came into force from the elections in 2016.
Polling district / area: Orton Hall ORL1
Date submitted: 14 August 2024
Comments / issue: Hi just my observation from voting in this years general elections. I’m disabled with mobility issues in my 50s and struggle to walk any distance. My polling station is Orton hall hotel, and since it moved there it’s always been difficult to access for me but this year it nearly did for me. I do have to say the staff on duty were very kind and helpful to me. For me this site isn’t accessible for the elderly or the disabled given the distance from the car park to the rooms used for polling. I’ve been trying for a few years to get postal votes for my elderly parents and nothing happened. I do feel like I’m becoming disenfranchised. It’s not that we want postal votes now my father has passed as we feel they aren’t a secure way to vote. We’d just like to be able to vote without nearly collapsing doing it.
Response: Ideally, there would be the choice of a range of fully accessible buildings, conveniently located for electors in the area within which to establish polling stations. In practice, however, the choice of polling places will often be a balance between the quality of a building (access, facilities, etc.) and the proximity of the building to the electors. When making a decision, all factors will need to be considered. In the case of Orton Hall Hotel, it has been used for a number of years, is clearly identifiable and located reasonably close to the majority of electors within the polling district of ORL1. It is also, as a hotel, fully wheelchair accessible. I appreciate your concerns regarding the distance from the car park to the polling station and will enquire if any other rooms could be made available at the hotel to alleviate this. I am not aware of any alternative buildings located within the polling district of ORL1 that would be available to be used as a polling station but, if you are able to suggest a potential alternative then I would be happy to evaluate this for use in future elections.
Polling district / area: Hamptons HAH3
Date submitted: 14 August 2024
Comments / issue: I saw your request on Facebook for your consultation on the polling districts. I would politely request that Hampton East get a polling station on this side of Hampton. We have John Henry Newman School which has plenty of parking and is easily accessed by Hampton Gardens, Lakeside Edge and Hampton Woods so would be a perfect location for this side of Hampton. Having to use the school in Hampton Hargate is a nightmare as there is no proper parking and it’s a good 40-45 minute walk from my house so takes a huge chunk out of my day if I want to go and vote.
Response: We are currently in contact with several premises within the Hargate & Hempsted ward with the view of using these as polling stations for future elections which will hopefully make in person voting more convenient for its residents.
Polling district / area: PAR2
Date submitted: 19 August 2024
Comments / issue: I have lived in Peterborough for last 36 years. It was easy to vote all these years but last couple of years it has been very difficult to go far away polling stations to vote. Polling stations has been moved from local areas to further away places where it is difficult to go specifically for old and physically disabled people and parking is difficult in congested streets. Local councillors are out of by touch and they are influencing to move polling stations in their areas. Go back to basics which has worked for the past hundreds of years. Do the right thing. Good luck. I am referring to Park Ward 2, Northfield Road polling station. It is too far from Derby Drive for 85 year old.
Response: Ideally, there would be the choice of a range of fully accessible buildings, conveniently located for electors in the area within which to establish polling stations. In practice, however, the choice of polling places will often be a balance between the quality of a building (access, facilities, etc.) and the proximity of the building to the electors. When making a decision, all factors will need to be considered. In the case of PARCA Unity Hall on Northfield Road, it is the only building we have been able to hire within the polling district of PAR2. In previous years, we have hired a room at the former St Georges School and sited a mobile unit in the car park of the Elm Tree Tavern. With neither of these options available to us anymore and the fact that all the other premises we have contacted are unwilling for us to hire them out, we will continue to use PARCA Unity Hall until a suitable alternative can be found. If you are able to suggest a potential alternative building then I would be happy to evaluate this for use in future elections.
