Voters ‘not listened to’ over polling station moves

Plans to move some of Herefordshire’s polling stations have been knocked back, following claims they went against what locals wanted.

A proposal but before Herefordshire councillors last week would have moved around 15 of the county’s polling places, for various reasons.

Seeking the backing of fellow councillors, council chairman Roger Phillips said it was “important we get this done today in case there are any elections”, adding: “There can be parish or ward elections any time.”

But Coun Ben Proctor objected, saying of the two polling districts in his College, Hereford ward, one requires residents to leave the estate – “an extremely long walk for some people”.

In the other district, the Bryngwyn Court retirement complex is to be replaced by the Aylestone Court Hotel in neighbouring Eign Hill ward.

“I cannot support something that reduces access to polling stations for people in my ward,” he said, adding that some felt their responses to a consultation on the proposed moves “have not been listened to”.

His Liberal Democrat colleague Coun Chris Bartram said he “could not support the motion either” as a “perfectly reasonable” suggestion to locate a polling station in a community centre in a new estate in Ross-on-Wye had also been rejected.

Coun Clare Davies meanwhile said it was “unfair” to close Brockhampton primary school near Bromyard for the day to use as a polling station, “when we have a perfectly good hall in the middle of our town”.

LibDem leader Coun Terry James said comments made during the consultation “have not been taken any notice of”.

“The last time I made observations, it didn’t make a blind bit of difference,” he added – even though some voters in Kington “have to go several miles to vote”.

Coun Dan Hurcomb said changes needed to be agreed, as the Three Counties Hotel, a former polling station in Hereford’s Newton Farm ward, “no longer exists”.

But Coun Kevin Tillett said the proposal “should be sent back to the drawing board”, adding: “What is the point of a consultation where so many people have been ignored?”

Coun Phillips then proposed that the rejig of polling stations be “revisited”, with members getting prior sight of any changes before being asked to approve them.

The motion was passed unanimously.