Memorandum by Mary Bradley, Head of Registration
& Electoral Services, London Borough of Newham (WB 07)
COMMENTS REGARDING
THE INTERESTS
OF LOCAL
COMMUNITIES AND
CONVENIENT LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
It is undoubtedly desirable and probably essential
to the voter that the boundary of wards encompasses an area with
common access to polling stations and an understanding that small
communities all "do the same thing at the same place"
when electing both local and parliamentary representatives.
1. The Newham, Custom House Ward has it's
boundary with Beckton Ward drawn through the new Beckton housing
developments. The parliamentary boundary however follows an old
line, probably a former water way or drainage channel made long
before the housing was constructed. The effect is that for a General
Election there are a handful of properties isolated the wrong
side of a park and a relatively busy road from the remainder of
Poplar and Canning Town Constituency.
2. Similarly we have a problem where the
block of premises southernmost in a cul-de-sac turning, Caraway
Close E16, are within a different ward to all other premises in
the same closed turning. The net result is that electors/neighbours
all exit via the northern end of the road but those who have travelled
farthest ie from the southern end must turn about and walk south
via another route to get to their polling station some distance
away. This particular discrepancy has been argued by the local
Councillor even though he would lose some of his electorate.
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