Peckham Rye Ward Polling Station mix up

[Renata Hamvas]

Unfortunately, there has been a mix up on the polling cards for two polling districts in Peckham Rye Ward

Polling cards issued to residents who normally vote at the Rye Hill Estate TRA Hall are directing them to vote at Newlands Academy.

Polling cards issued to residents who normally vote at the Newlands Academy are directing them to vote at the Rye Hill Estate TRA Hall.

THIS IS INCORRECT! Neither polling district has changed. If you usually vote at the Rye Hill Estate TRA Hall, that's still your polling station. If you usually vote at Newlands Academy, go to vote there.

Electoral services have been made aware of the error and new polling cards are currently being issued with the correct information on them. They should be landing on your doorsteps in the next couple of days.

Renata

[Beulah]

Renata, do you know why Thomas Calton centre is no longer being used as a Polling Station and Bellenden School (new site) is being used instead?

Parents were given VERY short notice that Bellenden is completely closed on Thursday.

I appreciate the lack of notice may be due to the school rather than the Electoral Commission.

Thanks

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Beulah, the new polling districts were sorted out a while ago, so the school would have known. With the change of ward boundaries, some polling stations have changed. This is a new polling station. The Thomas Carlton Centre is also a polling station. The polling station that no longer exists is Amott Road Baptist Church. I think this was in the old Lane Ward but is not in the new Rye Lane Ward so a new polling station was needed for the residents in the south east of the ward. I hope this makes sense.

Renata

[Beulah]

I forgot about the boundary changes.

Many thanks.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Thanks for this Renata. I hadn't even bothered to look at my card. Slight bummer as Amott Rd was just a few yards away.

[James Barber]

My experience in the Electoral services team have assumed schools will accept being Polling Station. They chose Heber School for one. I know past head didn't want Heber to be a polling station. I checked new the new head who concurred as did governors. Went to Electoral services who said the school had agreed to be one. Challenged them and then electoral services backed down and Heber School will not be used as one - but it took several months to get this 'mistake' corrected.

It is appalling that any school has to close for the day. It used to be 60 schools every election. Under former Councillor Bob Skelly who led on education this was reduced to 20. It now stands at 18 after a lot of pushing from me and my colleagues to stop using schools.

[rendelharris]

When I was cycling through Penge the other day (for I'm a demon for pleasure) I noticed several posters saying "Live in Bromley? You must have ID to vote". I assume this is not going to be the case in Southwark?

[Jim1234]

James, could you please fight against the closure of the Royal Mail sorting office instead? After all it was Vince Cable that privatised it. Or is it Lib Dem policy to privitise and close essential services? Tories lite.

[uncleglen]

rendelharris Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> When I was cycling through Penge the other day

> (for I'm a demon for pleasure) I noticed several

> posters saying "Live in Bromley? You must have ID

> to vote". I assume this is not going to be the

> case in Southwark?

Pilot areas

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dont-forget-to-take-id-to-vote-in-five-pilot-areas-on-3-may

[rendelharris]

uncleglen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> rendelharris Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > When I was cycling through Penge the other day

> > (for I'm a demon for pleasure) I noticed

> several

> > posters saying "Live in Bromley? You must have

> ID

> > to vote". I assume this is not going to be the

> > case in Southwark?

>

> Pilot areas

> https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dont-forget-to-

> take-id-to-vote-in-five-pilot-areas-on-3-may

Ta.

[trinidad]

Hello RendalHarris,

Not sure if you remember, but there was a huge blunder in Tower Hamlets with the last local / mayor elections. To tighten up the process, the government decided the process, there was wide talk of electors producing pictured ID to polling staff. Fast forward these elections, the government decided to ask local authorities to test run the scheme. Most local authorities did sign up to the scheme, including southwark, in the belief it would stop electors from voting. Bromley and a handful of other boroughs / councils are also participating.

So in a nutshell, you do not need ID to vote in the local elections in southwark.

[rendelharris]

Thanks. It has always seemed odd to me that one can just walk in without even a polling card, give a name and address and get a ballot paper; I know in France one has to show ID.

[alex_b]

rendelharris Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks. It has always seemed odd to me that one

> can just walk in without even a polling card, give

> a name and address and get a ballot paper; I know

> in France one has to show ID.

But in France you have a compulsory National ID card scheme. After the Windrush scandal it should be obvious that there are legitimate citizens in the UK who cannot access ID through no fault of their own.

Edited to stay more on topic.

[rendelharris]

alex_b Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> rendelharris Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Thanks. It has always seemed odd to me that

> one

> > can just walk in without even a polling card,

> give

> > a name and address and get a ballot paper; I

> know

> > in France one has to show ID.

>

> But in France you have a compulsory National ID

> card scheme. After the Windrush scandal it should

> be obvious that there are legitimate citizens in

> the UK who cannot access ID through no fault of

> their own.

>

> Edited to stay more on topic.

Indeed, but that's an argument for making sure those people get ID, not for ruling out ID at polling booths.

[Sue]

Jim1234 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> James, could you please fight against the closure

> of the Royal Mail sorting office instead? After

> all it was Vince Cable that privatised it. Or is

> it Lib Dem policy to privitise and close essential

> services? Tories lite.

Too late now.

Last year (amongst other things) Labour organised a demo outside the existing delivery office in Sylvester Road and only about half a dozen people turned up, including our MP Helen Hayes.

Basically most local people just didn't seem to be that concerned when it came down to it.

[Renata Hamvas]

In terms of schools and polling stations, suitable venues are required within suitable locations within wards to be polling stations. There may not be other venues except a school in a suitable location.

Going back to the theme of the thread-it does appear that many of the affected residents do now have replacement polling cards.

As well as boundary and name changes of wards, some wards will have only 2 Councillors, so you have 2 votes if you are voting in those wards.

2 member wards are: Dulwich Wood, Dulwich Village, Dulwich Hill, Champion Hill, Peckham Rye and St George's

all other wards will have three Councillors and 3 votes.

Renata

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Sorry to be a little bit picky, but I've just been on the Southwark website to check who my councillors are, and it does not list "Rye Lane Ward" which is what is on my polling card. I assume what they list as "Peckham Rye" is the same thing but I'm not a hundred per cent sure.

Is it too much to expect a level of uniformity?

[MarkT]

Ward boundaries old and new here:

https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/5979

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Peckhamgatecrasher, Rye Lane Ward is predominately the old Lane Ward.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Thanks all.