The Constitutional Committee of Newcastle upon Tyne Council met to discuss an update on electoral registration and elections, and to note the intention to circulate a report on governance review and scrutiny arrangements. The committee also agreed to exclude the press and public from a portion of the meeting to discuss confidential matters.

Electoral Registration and Elections Update

The committee received an update on electoral activities, including postal vote renewals, the annual canvass of electors, a review of polling districts and polling places, preparations for the 2026 local elections, and further electoral changes.

Postal Vote Renewals

Under the Elections Act 2022, postal voters can hold a postal vote for a maximum of three years, after which they must submit a new application. As of January 31, 2025, Newcastle upon Tyne Council had 61,055 postal voters, with 60,355 needing to renew their applications by January 31, 2026. As of August 27, 2025, 29,866 electors had renewed their postal vote applications, a response rate of approximately 49.78%. Reminder notices are being sent to those who have not responded.

Statutory Annual Canvass of Electors 2025

The annual canvass started in June to verify the accuracy of the electoral register. Of the 142,000 residential properties on the register, 93,288 were matched with national records via the Department for Work and Pensions, while 48,499 were unmatched. Unmatched properties require a response to a canvass form, and if no response is received, the Electoral Registration Officer will send reminders and conduct at least one personal door-knocking visit. The canvass of students will take place in September, and of care homes in October and November. The new Register of Electors will be published on December 1, 2025.

Polling District and Polling Places Review

Following the confirmation of the Statutory Order for the new electoral wards on May 2, 2025, a statutory review of the new ward boundaries is underway. The Acting Returning Officer is consulting with the public on proposals for polling districts and polling places for the new electoral wards. The proposals take into account factors such as the current overall electorate, the number of voters assigned to each polling station, turnout from the last UK Parliamentary General Election, estimated population by 2029, the impact of new ward boundaries, parliamentary constituency boundaries, parish/community council boundaries, and the location of potential suitable polling places. The initial proposals have increased the number of polling districts from 123 to 135. Public consultation began on August 18 and will end on September 15, 2025. Final proposals will be considered by the Constitutional Committee in November 2025.

2026 Local Elections

Preparations are underway for the local government elections on May 7, 2026. Sports Central at Northumbria University will be used for the opening of postal votes, as well as for the verification and counting of results. The verification and counting of votes will take place on Friday, May 8, 2026.

Further Electoral Changes

In July 2025, the government launched a new electoral strategy and review which includes a wider range of changes to how elections and electoral registration are delivered.

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Outreach Event

The Electoral Services Team held a workshop with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in July 2025 to learn about the lived experiences of visually impaired electors and to explore ways to offer support. A mock polling station was set up to allow delegates to run through the voting in person experience. Concerns were raised about training and support from polling station staff. The RNIB are working on a polling station staff training module, and the council will collaborate to improve ahead of poll staff training.

Governance Review - Scrutiny Arrangements

Members noted the intention to circulate the governance review scrutiny arrangements report on a supplemental agenda in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The committee agreed to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of items relating to honours nominations, citing paragraph 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, which allows for the exclusion of the press and public when exempt information is likely to be disclosed and the public interest test against disclosure is satisfied.