Calderdale polling stations: Your views sought on where polling stations should be

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England conducted an Electoral Review of Calderdale and concluded that Calderdale should be split into 18 Wards, with three councillors elected to each ward.

The changes will not come into place until the 2026 local elections, at which all 54 of the new council seats will be contested.

Only Skircoat ward voters are set to go to the polls this spring, with the Calderdale Council by-election there to be contested on May 8.

Parliament has approved the Boundary Commission’s recommended changes, and this means Calderdale Council must also hold a Polling District, Polling Places and Polling Stations Review.

Each new ward will be split into polling districts and buildings will be chosen for use as a polling station in each polling district.

The council says the aim of the review is to make sure that all electors in the constituency have such facilities for voting, and that polling places are accessible to all electors.

When the council designates a polling place, it should also take account of the needs of disabled people.

Under review is where a polling station is within each polling district, how accessible each polling station is and what buildings could be used, and the polling district boundaries within each ward of each constituency.

What the council cannot review now are ward boundaries themselves, parish boundaries or Parliamentary constituency boundaries.

People can give their feedback on the issues under review on its website – new.calderdale.gov.uk/council/elections-and-voting/review-polling-districts-places-and-stations

The web page also includes links to maps of each proposed new ward.

The council says: “Now you have identified which new ward your address is in, tell us where you think your polling station should be.

“This will help us decide how to split the new wards into polling districts.”

The public consultation aspect of this review will close on June 11, with comments from the returning officer published before that on May 15.

Governance and Business Committee councillors will then consider responses in August and the full council will be asked to consider their recommendation at its September meeting, after which the review will be concluded.

Every 20 years or so ward boundaries are reviewed by the Boundary Commission.

The new 18 wards which are proposed, each electing three councillors, are: Brighouse; Elland; Greetland; Halifax Town; Hebden Bridge and Todmorden East; Hipperholme and Lightcliffe; Illingworth and Mixenden; Luddenden Foot; Northowram and Shelf; Ovenden; Park; Rastrick; Ryburn; Salterhebble, Southowram and Skircoat Green; Sowerby Bridge; Todmorden West; Wainhouse; and Warley.

Although some familiar names will change or disappear with the new designations, all areas will continue to have representation after the changes.