‘Have your say’ on consultation and review of polling places

Issued on behalf of Chief Executive/Returning Officer

Electors are being invited to have their say on a review of polling places throughout Highland Council area which proposes a shift towards using primary schools wherever possible.  Documents are available on the council’s website for consideration at www.highland.gov.uk/elections ‘review of polling stations’.

The outcomes of the consultation and review will determine local polling stations used in future elections for the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament; and Highland Council.

The aim of the review is to ensure that every elector in the Highland Council area has reasonable facilities for voting and that the polling places are accessible for all electors including those who are disabled.

Highland Council Chief Executive and Returning Officer, Steve Barron said:

“We intend using primary schools for polling stations in Highland wherever possible. To enable this, our Care and Learning Service will schedule staff in-service-training-days in all Highland schools on polling days for all fixed term elections where the dates are well-known in advance. If SQA exam dates coincide with any election dates, secondary schools will remain open for exams.

This will allow us to reduce the cost or hiring polling places and minimise any disruption to pupils’ education.”

The consultation and review process will run in 2 stages with comments invited on:

• current polling places from Monday 12 December to Friday 6 January 2017
• draft proposals and the Returning Officer’s representations from Monday 9 January to Friday 20 January 2017.

Any elector in the Highland Council area, as well as any person or organisation with expertise in access for people with any type of disability is invited to submit their views or proposals on any changes to existing polling places.

All representations will be open to public inspection and will also be published on the Council’s website.  This will include names and addresses; however, sensitive information such as signatures, email addresses and phone numbers will be removed.  The outcome of the review will be published on the Council’s website.

Representations can be made: by post to Election Office, Highland Council, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness IV3 5NX; by email to election@highland.gov.uk or by phone on 01463 702945.