Partial
Review of Brighton & Hove Polling Districts and
Places
Consultation Paper and (Acting) Returning
Officer Comment
1. Introduction & Strategy
Brighton & Hove City Council are
conducting a partial review of its polling districts and polling
places under Section 18 of the Representation of the People Act
1983 and in line with the Electoral Registration and Administration
Act 2013. We are only conducting a partial review so that we can
react to changing circumstances that are specific to certain wards.
The six wards included in this partial review are:
·
Central Hove
·
Hangleton & Knoll
·
Kemptown
·
North Portslade
·
Whitehawk & Marina
·
Woodingdean
A comprehensive review took place in 2022
following the Local Government Boundary Commission for
England’s Review of the city’s wards - and the passing
of the Elections Act 2022. This Act brought about changes including
the introduction of Voter ID.
A further partial review took place in 2023 to
make further necessary changes to a limited number of wards.
The proposed scheme will follow similar design
principles to 2022 and 2023. These are:
·
Assign a polling place to each polling district and elector
·
So far as is reasonable and practicable, ensure polling places are
nearby to electors and located close to public transport routes and
local amenities.
·
So far as is reasonable and practicable ensure every polling place
has step free access or can be provided with a ramp
·
Help facilitate the safe and efficient administration and delivery
of local and parliamentary elections
·
Have a high proportion of double/triple stations. This will enable
polling places to benefit from a higher proportion of senior staff
who can resolve issues.
·
Ensure most polling stations have between 1,250-1,750 polling
station electors. This will ensure that polling stations are not
too busy or quiet, staffing resources are best utilised and
Electoral Commission ratios do not require further polling station
splits.
·
Where possible, limit the use of schools
·
Avoid the use of temporary buildings
2. The Review and Decision-Making Process
The Council has published notice of holding
the review and consulted the (Acting) Returning Officer for each
Parliamentary Constituency in the Council’s area. The
(Acting) Returning Officer has commented on the proposals
throughout. An interactive map of the proposals can be viewed
here
The Council then invites comments on the
proposals. The consultation paper will be published on the
Council’s website. It will also be sent to Councillors,
Members of Parliament, local political parties, and local people
and stakeholders with expertise in disability and
accessibility.
All representations will be considered and
responded to by the (Acting) Returning Officer. They will be
published in the final report by the (Acting) Returning Officer
with their final recommendations. Full Council will consider the
proposals and make a final decision on 23 October. The agreed
polling districts will then be passed to the Electoral Registration
Officer for publication in the revised Register of Electors. This
register will be published on 8 December.
3. The Review Timetable
The timetable for the review is set out below:
·
Publication of notice of review, and consultation document
including (Acting) Returning Officer’s proposals –
Tuesday 26 August 2025
·
Closing date for representations – Sunday 28 September
2025
·
Final proposal published via Agenda papers and website –
Wednesday 15 October 2025
·
Decision on scheme at Full Council meeting –- Thursday 23
October 2025
·
Revised Register Published – Monday 8 December 2025
·
Combined County Authority Mayoral election – Thursday 7 May
2026
4. Commenting on the Proposals
The Council and (Acting) Returning Officer welcome your thoughts on
our proposals. When making comments or alternative proposals,
please consider the principles that we have used to develop the
scheme:
·
Assign a polling place to each polling district and elector
·
So far as is reasonable and practicable, ensure polling places are
nearby to electors and located close to public transport routes and
local amenities.
·
So far as is reasonable and practicable ensure every polling place
has step free access or can be provided with a ramp
·
Help facilitate the safe and efficient administration and delivery
of local and parliamentary elections
·
Have a high proportion of double/triple stations. This will enable
polling places to benefit from a higher proportion of senior staff
who can resolve issues.
·
Ensure most polling stations have between 1,250-1,750 polling
station electors. This will ensure that polling stations are not
too busy or quiet, staffing resources are best utilised and
Electoral Commission ratios do not require further polling station
splits.
·
Where possible, limit the use of schools
·
Avoid the use of temporary buildings
You can respond to the review in several ways:
·
Online on our consultation portal ‘Your Voice’
·
by email to electors@brighton-hove.gov.uk
·
by post to: The Returning Officer, Hove Town Hall, Norton
Road, Hove BN3 3BQ
We must receive your views by Sunday 28 September 2025 for them to
be considered in this review
Central Hove, Hove and Portslade
The current scheme includes Hove Library as
the polling place for polling district HCHZ. The library’s
functions have since changed to host one of the city’s two
Help Desks to provide in-person support to residents. To prevent
interference with this function, it is proposed to remove Hove
Library from the scheme.
This change provides an opportunity to revisit
the polling district boundaries for this ward, to provide more
locally situated polling stations for a higher number of electors.
A new polling place at Emmanual Church, Clarendon Villas is
therefore proposed, with amended polling district boundaries.
|
Constituency
|
Polling District
|
Polling District Electorate
|
Polling Place Electorate
|
Polling Place
|
|
Hove and Portslade
|
HCHY
|
6661
|
5781
|
Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, BN3
3BQ
|
|
Hove and Portslade
|
HCHZ
|
2178
|
1945
|
Emmanuel Church, At The Villas, 21-23
Clarendon Villas, BN3 3RE
|
Current Scheme
Proposed Scheme
Hangleton & Knoll, Hove and Portslade
The current scheme includes St Helen’s
Church Hall as the polling place for polling district HHKZ. St
Helen’s Church Hall has limited step-free access and
therefore provides reduced accessibility for some electors. It is
therefore proposed to remove St Helen’s Church Hall from the
scheme.
The most suitable alternative polling place
for electors in this polling district has been identified as At the
Oasis, Hangleton Way. This venue currently serves as a polling
place for polling district HHKX, and has full level access from the
street into the hall.
It is therefore proposed to merge polling
districts HHKZ and HHKX to create a double station. This aligns
with the review’s principles of increasing accessibility for
disabled voters, and creating more double polling stations to
increase the number of senior staff available at each polling
place.
|
Constituency
|
Polling District
|
Polling District Electorate
|
Polling Place Electorate
|
Polling Place
|
|
Hove and Portslade
|
HHKV
|
2011
|
1658
|
St Richard`s Community Centre, Egmont
Road, BN3 7FP
|
|
Hove and Portslade
|
HHKW
|
3547
|
2886
|
Hounsom Memorial Church Hall, 200 Nevill
Avenue, BN3 7NG
|
|
Hove and Portslade
|
HHKX
|
3765
|
2947
|
At the Oasis, Hangleton Way, BN3
8EQ
|
|
Hove and Portslade
|
HHKY
|
1974
|
1601
|
Hangleton Community Centre, Harmsworth
Crescent, BN3 8BW
|
Current Scheme
Proposed Scheme
Kemptown, Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
The current scheme includes The Spire as the
polling place for polling district KKTX. The Spire is no longer
able to serve as a polling place due to structural problems with
the building. The Spire is therefore being removed from the
scheme.
It is proposed to redraw the polling district
boundaries in order to locate the remaining two polling places in
the heart of their polling districts, resulting in a more local
polling station for a higher number of electors. Polling district
KKTX would therefore reduce in size, and its remaining electors be
allocated to The Manor Gym & Sports Centre.
The Manor Gym currently serves as a polling
place for Whitehawk & Marina. This proposal would therefore
align with this review’s principle of increasing the number
of double polling stations.
|
Constituency
|
Polling District
|
Polling District Electorate
|
Polling Place Electorate
|
Polling Place
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KKTX
|
2185
|
1835
|
The Manor Gym & Sports Centre, Manor
Road, BN2 5EA
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KKTY
|
2302
|
2016
|
St George`s Community Centre (Kemp Town
Crypt), St. George`s Church, St. George`s Road, BN2 1ED
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KKTZ
|
4696
|
4071
|
St Mary`s Hall, 61 St James`s Street, BN2
1PR
|
Current Scheme
Whitehawk & Marina, Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
The current scheme includes Whitehawk Library
as the polling place for polling district KWMY. Whitehawk Library
currently serves as an access point to council services for
residents who don’t have access to the internet, or who
require library staff support in order to self-serve. The library
must close to the public on election day, resulting in reduced
access to council services for some residents. It is therefore
proposed to remove Whitehawk Library from the scheme.
It is proposed to split polling district KWMY,
and for it to be absorbed by three neighbouring polling districts.
Electors would vote at the established polling places for these
districts: Robert Lodge Meeting Rooms (KWMW), The Manor Gym &
Sports Centre (KWMX), and St Cuthman’s Church (KWMZ).
|
Constituency
|
Polling District
|
Polling District Electorate
|
Polling Place Electorate
|
Polling Place
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KWMV
|
1140
|
937
|
Estate Office Board Room, Brighton
Marina, BN2 5UF
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KWMW
|
2582
|
2119
|
Robert Lodge Meeting Rooms, Whitehawk
Road/Manor Place, BN2 5FG
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KWMX
|
2169
|
1780
|
The Manor Gym & Sports Centre, Manor
Road, BN2 5EA
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KWMZ
|
2785
|
2288
|
St Cuthman`s Church, Whitehawk Way, BN2
5HE
|
Current Scheme
Proposed Scheme
Woodingdean, Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven
The current scheme includes Woodingdean
Library as the polling place for polling district KWOZ. Woodingdean
Library currently serves as an access point to council services for
residents who don’t have access to the internet, or who
require library staff support in order to self-serve. The library
must close to the public on election day, resulting in reduced
access to council services for some residents. It is therefore
proposed to remove Woodingdean Library from the scheme.
The most suitable alternative polling place
for electors in this polling district has been identified as the
Parish Room, Church of the Holy
Cross. This venue currently serves as a polling place for
polling district KWOY.
It is therefore proposed to merge polling
districts KWOZ and KWOY to create a double station. This aligns
with the review’s principle of creating more double polling
stations to increase the number of senior staff available at each
polling place.
|
Constituency
|
Polling District
|
Polling District Electorate
|
Polling Place Electorate
|
Polling Place
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KWOW
|
1941
|
1579
|
St Patrick`s Church Hall, Broad Green,
BN2 6TB
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KWOX
|
2016
|
1625
|
Woodingdean Methodist Church Hall, 117
The Ridgway, BN2 6PA
|
|
Brighton Kemptown and
Peacehaven
|
KWOY
|
3512
|
2776
|
Parish Room, Church of the Holy Cross,
Downsway, BN2 6BD
|
Current Scheme
Proposed Scheme
