Call for people to help staff polling stations as preparations made for first election of its kind

Staff are being sought to help run polling stations on the day, where there will be additional responsibilities to meet in terms of ID checking.

New ward arrangements for Fenland were confirmed and finalised at the end of last month following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, meaning people may be visiting a different polling station to vote and are likely to belong in a ward with different boundaries.

A Fenland District Council spokesman said: "Running elections is always a complex operation and for this year's local elections on 4 May there are a number of new things.

"We want to assure everyone in Fenland that this is all in hand for a smooth polling day and to let them know there are opportunities to get involved as staff if they'd like to.

"It's more important than ever this year that people look carefully at the polling card we send them as the ward boundaries have changed across the district and their allocated polling station may be different.

"This is as a result of a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to ensure electoral equality, namely that councillors represent roughly equal numbers of electors and that ward arrangements help the council work effectively. 

"We also want to remind people again that to vote at polling stations from May this year they will need to bring photo ID from the accepted ID list."

Polling staff

Fenland District Council uses its own staff to run polling stations where possible but is recruiting additional elections staff to help.

There are 56 polling stations in operation. The Council is looking for applications from people interested in acting as poll clerks or reserve poll clerks.

Polling staff are responsible for conducting the ballot in each polling station. They make sure the proper procedure for voting is followed.

On election day, polling staff work from 6.30am until after 10pm. They cannot leave the polling station during these hours.

Polling staff (including reserve staff) are supported by the Elections Team and are required to attend a training session beforehand - even if they have done the role before.

Training sessions are two-hours long and are in-person rather than online. Daytime and evening sessions will be offered in locations including March and Wisbech.

Elections for all of Fenland's district wards and its 16 town and parish councils will take place on Thursday, May 4.

New ward boundaries

Under the new ward arrangements there are now 18 district wards instead of 24. There will be 43 councillors elected where previously there were 39.

Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England previously said: "We believe the new arrangements will guarantee electoral fairness while maintaining local ties."

Voter ID and improvements for electors with disabilities

The Elections Act has brought in requirements for voter photo ID for the first time this year.

The Act has also improved accessibility of elections for people with disabilities. New rules mean an elector with a disability can choose anyone aged 18 or over to accompany them in the polling station to help them vote.

• May's elections are the first where electors will have to show ID at polling stations. See a full list of acceptable ID and find out how to apply for free photo ID at: Voter ID
• To find out more about working at elections, and to download an application form, visit: Working at Elections

New ward details

The new district council wards and number of councillors to represent each are:

View a map of the new wards: Boundary Commission map of Fenland wards and parishes January 2023.

February 2023