Councillors will be asked to agree changes to polling stations in Torfaen that could see four Cwmbran schools stop being used on polling days and staying open for pupils.
As part of a statutory review, officers have looked at the location of all polling stations and the areas they serve when residents are asked to vote. A report is going to the full council meeting next Tuesday.
In her report, Caroline Genever-Jones, the council’s elections manager, said: “A small number of changes to existing polling places and stations are proposed, due to existing buildings closing, to improve accessibility for voters or to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of the voting process….
“This was not a root-and-branch review without constraints, but had at its base the belief that we want to increase the number of people who vote at elections, not decrease the number by disrupting existing arrangements which in some cases have been in place for many years. Hence the aim was for minimal change.”
Among the recommendations for new locations or changes to polling districts, four Cwmbran schools are listed- along with possible new locations for voting. Currently, the schools close on polling day, as they are used for residents to vote.
- Coed Eva Primary- Use Hollybush and Coed Eva Community Centre (The White Hut).
- Greenmeadow Primary- Use Cheeky Monkeys indoor play centre.
- Blenheim Road Community Primary- Use Cheeky Monkeys and The Power Station.
- Our Lady of the Angels RC Primary- Use the community hall on the school site.
During the consultation, 53 residents took part in an online survey. Six councilllors, Alan Slade, Jason O’Connell, Peter Jones, Steven Evans, Linda Clarkson and Janet Jones, suggested different polling venues,
