The Corporate Affairs Committee of Middlesbrough Council was scheduled to discuss a review of polling districts and places. The committee was also due to receive the minutes from a previous meeting.

Polling Districts and Places Review 2026

The committee was scheduled to consider a review of polling districts and places for all elections and referendums to be held from May 2027 until the next scheduled review in 2028/29. This review was prompted by new ward boundaries coming into effect in Middlesbrough from May 2027.

Key proposals included:

• The location of a new mobile polling station at the junction of Merlin Road and Kestrel Avenue to support voters on the Boyds Estate. This is due to the estate being moved into the new North Ormesby and Boyds ward, with existing polling stations in North Ormesby being almost a mile away.
• Minor changes to other polling district boundaries to align with the new ward boundaries.
• The proposed list of Polling Places to be used for all elections and referendums.

The report highlighted that the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 places a duty on local authorities to carry out and complete reviews of polling districts and polling places every five years. The last review in Middlesbrough took place in 2023/24, with the next scheduled for 2028/29. An interim review was undertaken to match polling districts and places to the new ward boundaries.

The report also detailed specific changes in various wards:

• Central Ward: Electors previously served by Breckon Hill School would be split between existing stations at Abingdon Primary School and the International Centre.
• North Ormesby and Boyds Ward: A mobile station is proposed to be reinstated at the junction of Merlin Road and Kestrel Avenue.
• Acklam North Ward: Approximately 10 electors from the Stainsby Grange area west of the A19 would vote at the mobile station on Croft Avenue.
• Longlands and Grove Hill Ward: Breckon Hill School would remain a polling place for electors who previously voted there.
• Berwick Hills and Park End Ward: Berwick Hills Primary School would gain approximately 36 electors from Dorien Crescent.
• Pallister and Priestfields Ward: Existing polling places were proposed to be kept, with approximately 91 electors moving to Brambles and Thorntree ward.
• Brambles and Thorntree Ward: Brambles Farm Community Centre would lose electors from the Boyds estate, while Thorntree Community Hub would gain approximately 91 electors.
• Trimdon Ward: The mobile station would lose approximately 16 electors, and Acklam Whin Primary School would lose the Runswick Avenue/Sedgefield Road area to Kader ward.
• Kader Ward: Kader Primary School would lose approximately 265 electors to Acklam East and Tollesby Ward, while St Margaret's Church Hall would gain electors from Trimdon ward.
• Acklam East and Tollesby Ward: 265 electors from Kader ward would be added, with a straightforward journey to the existing station at Newham Grange Primary.
• Beechwood and Easterside Ward: Approximately 121 electors would be added, with a similar journey length to Beech Grove Primary as their previous polling station.
• Marton East Ward: Captain Cook Primary School would lose approximately 82 electors.
• Stainton and Thornton Ward: The Memorial Hall would become a dual station due to the addition of approximately 6 electors.
• Marton West Ward: Marton Manor Primary School would gain approximately 82 electors, and the mobile station at Fulford Way would lose approximately 170 electors to Nunthorpe ward.
• Nunthorpe Ward: Nunthorpe Community Centre would become a dual station with the addition of approximately 170 electors from Marton West ward.

The report noted that ward members had been consulted on the proposed arrangements, and feedback was invited from the public.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee was also scheduled to receive the minutes from the previous Corporate Affairs Committee meeting held on 23 January 2025.