Constituencies

Polling station review 2019

Each local authority is required to carry out reviews of the Polling Districts and Polling Places in its area.

The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 changed the timing of these reviews and the next review must be held between 1st October 2018 and 31st January 2020. You can find more information on the review here.

2018 Review

The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) are reviewing the boundaries of all the constituencies in England.

Maidstone is currently part of two constituencies:

• Faversham and Mid Kent and
• Maidstone and The Weald

Current Constituencies Map

The proposed changes would create two new constituencies:

• Maidstone and
• Tonbridge and The Weald

Proposed Constituencies Map

Current and Proposed Constituencies Map

For more information about the review visit the BCE 2018 website.

County divisions

There aren't any reviews taking place at the moment.

Community governance

What is it?

A Community Governance Review (CGR) is a review we can carry out on the whole or part of the borough, with the aim of:

• Creating, merging or abolishing parishes
• Renaming parishes
• Changing the type of parish. For example town, village, community etc
• Changing the electoral arrangements for parishes. For example the size of a parish council, the number of councillors it has, warding arrangements etc

Borough council wards and county council divisions can't be altered by a Community Governance Order (CGO). This is dealt with by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

Who can request a CGR?

• Electors, providing they have the minimum number of signatures needed, can petition for one
• Parish councils and/or local members
• Us, if we feel it's necessary. For example splitting up a parish or creating a new one because of a new housing development

The process

• We get a request and publish the details of the request in a terms of reference document
• It goes out to consultation
• We'll then prepare a draft report for council, taking into account any comments received during the consultation
• Once the final report has been agreed, we'll prepare an order to bring the changes in. This will normally be before the next election

Harrietsham Parish Council Review

In 2015 we reviewed the number of Parish Councillors. The number of councillors increased from 9 to 11 following the May 2015 elections.

Polling places

Second Polling District & Polling Places Review 2013-15

The second review finished on Wednesday 22 October 2014. We received a number of responses. They were used to prepare a report for the General Purposes Group on Friday 24 October 2014 and an extraordinary meeting of the Council on Monday 10 November 2014.

All of the proposed changes were agreed and put in place on Monday 1 December 2014:

Some of the roads in Harrietsham and Lenham Ward moved to new Polling Stations:

• St Andrew's Church Hall
• The St Edmunds Centre, Platts Heath

Some roads in Heath Ward stayed at Beechwood Community Hall. The rest moved to St Andrew's Church Hall.

Polling District & Polling Places Review 2013-15

The review finished on Monday 7 April 2014. We received a number of responses which were used to prepare the second review.