The General Purposes Committee of Ealing Council met on Tuesday, 4 November 2025, to discuss the Polling District and Polling Place Review 2025, focusing on the approval of final proposals and the review's conclusion. The meeting also included the approval of minutes from a previous meeting.

Polling District and Polling Place Review 2025

The General Purposes Committee was scheduled to discuss and approve the final proposals for the Polling District and Polling Place Review 2025. The council is required to undertake a full review of all polling districts and polling places at least once every five years, with the last full review having taken place in 2022.

The review's primary objective was to ensure that all electors in the borough have reasonable facilities for voting, with consideration given to the accessibility needs of all voters. According to the agenda, the review considered accessibility not only in terms of entering and moving around a polling station, but also the facilities available to assist electors in casting their votes.

The report to the General Purposes Committee outlined the background to the review, noting that preliminary proposals from the Returning Officer (RO), Tony Clements, were presented to the committee on 16 September 2025. Following public consultation on these proposals, comments and representations were sought from the public, local political parties, councillors, community champions, connected communities groups, and equalities and disability groups.

The report recommended that the committee consider all representations received during the public consultation, which are available in Appendix E and exempt Appendix F of the report.

One amendment to the proposals was recommended in response to feedback, including a public petition. It was proposed that the relocation of the temporary portacabin polling station at Wesley Playing Fields (polling district BP, North Acton Ward) to Nash House should not proceed, and that the temporary station at Wesley Playing Fields should remain in use.

The final review proposals for the new polling places, polling stations and polling districts were set out in the schedule at Appendix B of the report.

The report also detailed the financial implications of the proposals. It stated that the average cost for each fixed building polling place is £1,700, with an average cost per vote cast of £2.99. In contrast, the average cost for each temporary polling station is £7,800, with an average cost per vote cast of £22.90. If the final review proposals were agreed in full, the changes were projected to achieve a total saving of over £50,000 at each election from 2026, compared to the local elections held in 2022.

The report included an Equalities Analysis Assessment (EAA) at Appendix D, which assessed the potential impact of the proposals on groups with protected characteristics¹. The EAA concluded that the proposals would have a positive impact on age, disability, and religion and belief, and a neutral impact on gender reassignment, race, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, and marriage and civil partnership.

The schedule of proposals in Appendix B outlined the proposed changes to polling places in various wards:

• North Acton (BQ): Replacing the temporary polling place at Midland Terrace with Nash House on Old Oak Lane. > In a recent assessment by Corporate Health & Safety, it was determined that temporary (Portacabin) stations are unfit for purpose due to significant concerns regarding their compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)[^3], including space limitations, significant accessibility failures, and numerous safety hazards. Therefore, every effort must made to reduce or eliminate their use altogether.
• Ealing Common (ES): Replacing the temporary polling place at the junction of Lilac Gardens and Sycamore Avenue with the Assyrian Society UK, 1 Temple Road.
• North Greenford (IR): Replacing the temporary polling place on Whitton Avenue East with Sudbury Golf Club (entrance on Whitton Avenue East), Bridgewater Road, Wembley.
• Perivale (JQ & JR): Merging JR into JQ and replacing the temporary polling place with Perivale Primary School, Federal Road, Greenford.
• Central Greenford (MT): Replacing the temporary polling place on Jeymer Drive with Greenford Scouts Hut, 111-113 Hill Rise, Greenford. Amending the MT polling district boundary line so that the Scout Hut is in MT.
• Greenford Broadway (NQ): Replacing the temporary polling place on Melrose Avenue with Greenford Tennis Club, Ravenor Park Road, Greenford (access via public footpath between no's 60 and 64 Ravenor Park Road). Amending the NQ polling district boundary line so that the Tennis Club is in NQ.
• Greenford Broadway (NS & NT): Following the previous recommended change to the NQ, merge NT into NS. NS would have its polling station at Greenford Library, The library has excellent polling facilities and nearby parking.
• Northolt Mandeville (QS): Replacing the temporary polling place on Blenheim Road with St Barnabas Church Hall, The Fairway, Northolt.
• Northfield (VR): Replacing the temporary polling place on Chilton Avenue with the Assyrian Society UK, 1 Temple Road. This proposal is intended to be temporary only for all elections up to and including 7 May 2026.

Minutes

The committee was scheduled to approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 16 September 2025.