Review of polling districts and places

Bedford Borough Council has a statutory duty to undertake a full review of all polling districts and polling places for the whole of the borough to ensure they have accessible and convenient facilities to vote from.

Key terms

A Polling district is an area created by the division of a ward into smaller parts, within which a polling place is established. In areas with parishes, each parish should be its own polling district.

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.

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.

Notice of Review

Polling station finder

You can view an interactive map of the current and proposed locations of polling places here.

Review of polling districts and places timetable

Event  Date
Notice of review published 16 October 2023
Council proposal published 16 October 2023
Commencement of formal consultation 16 October 2023
End of formal consultation 24 November 2023
Consider responses 8 December 2023
Publish electoral register 1 December 2023
Committee/Cabinet/Council meeting

10 January 2024

Conclude review By end of January 2024
Republish electoral register (if any new or amended polling districts) 1 February 2024
Scheduled elections on new polling districts, places and stations scheme 2 May 2024

How to have your say

The Council welcomes proposals and/or comments from:

  • any interested person within the Council or within a UK parliamentary constituency which has a part in the Borough
  • sitting Councillors, past or potential candidates and local political parties
  • disabled residents and from individuals or groups and organisations who have experience in making facilities and premises accessible, for those who have a disability

Interested persons may make a representation about any aspect of the polling districts or polling places which are to be used at future elections.

Anyone commenting on the suitability of existing or proposed polling places is asked to provide suggestions for alternative venues, where possible, to assist the review process.

You can comment and contribute to the review by sending an email to pollingplacereview@bedford.gov.uk.

What happens next

Once the review has been completed, the Council will publish all correspondence sent and received, the results of the review, and the reasons for its decisions.