Item 9 Appendix 04
West Dunbartonshire Council · 20 December 2023
Back to West Dunbartonshire Council — 20 December 2023 and its agenda
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AssessmentNo 807 Owner GHAWTHORN Resource Transformation Service/Establishment Regulatory First Name Surname Job title Head Officer George Hawthorn Manager of Democratic and Registration Services (include job titles/organisation) Members Alan Douglas (Please note: the word 'policy' is used as shorthand for stategy policy function or financial decision) Policy Title Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places The aim, objective,purpose and intended out come of policy To review all polling districts and polling places within West Dunbartonshire to ensure they are fully accessible to all and fit for purpose. Service/Partners/Stakeholders/service users involved in the development and/or implementation of policy. All community and equality groups in West Dunbartonshire and all elected members, msps, mp, election agents were consulted directly and members of public were invited to comment via notices in libraries and on council website. Does the proposals involve the procurement of any goods or services? No If yes please confirm that you have contacted our procurement services to discuss your requirements. No SCREENING You must indicate if there is any relevance to the four areas Duty to eliminate discrimination (E), advance equal opportunities (A) or foster good relations (F) Yes Relevance to Human Rights (HR) No Relevance to Health Impacts (H) No Relevance to Social Economic Impacts (SE) No Who will be affected by this policy? All persons wishing to vote in person at the polls in West Dunbartonshire. Who will be/has been involved in the consultation process? All community and equality groups in West Dunbartonshire and all WD elected members, MSPs, MP, election agents were consulted directly. Members of public were invited to comment via notices on display in libraries and on the council website. Please outline any particular need/barriers which equality groups may have in relation to this policy list evidence you are using to support this and whether there is any negative impact on particular groups. Needs Evidence Impact Age All persons, including the elderly, should be able to vote in person at a polling place if they so choose. All polling No adverse comments received from any elderly group. Most polling districts have their own polling places No impact. Proposed scheme will not change any polling districts and no new polling place will be introduced unless APPENDIX 4
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places should be accessible to wheelchair users i.e. be level or have ramps fitted. located within its boundary thus reducing distance to travel. Voters can opt to vote by post or proxy. existing place is not available. Cross Cutting n/a No impact Disability All persons, including the disabled, should be able to vote in person at a polling place if they so choose. All polling places should be accessible to wheelchair users i.e. be level or have ramps fitted. No adverse comments received from any disabled group including WD Access Panel. Most polling districts have their own polling places located within its boundary thus reducing distance to travel. Voters can opt to vote by post or proxy. No impact. Proposed scheme will not change any polling districts and no new polling place will be introduced unless existing place is not available. Social & Economic Impact All persons, including those on low incomes, should be able to vote in person at a polling place if they so choose. No adverse comments received. Most polling districts have their own polling places located within its boundary thus reducing distance to travel. Voters can opt to vote by post at no cost if they cannot afford to travel to their nearest polling place, most of which are within walking distance. No impact Sex n/a No impact Gender Reassign n/a No impact Health All persons, including those in poor health, should be able to vote in person at a polling place if they so choose. All polling places should be accessible to wheelchair users i.e. be level or have ramps fitted. Voters can opt to vote by post or by proxy if No adverse comments received form any group or individual concerning health being a barrier to vote in person. No impact
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they are too unwell to vote in person. Human Rights All persons who meet the criteria have the right to vote. There are no barriers to voting other than those contained in statute i.e the election franchise. No impact Marriage & Civil Partnership n/a No impact Pregnancy & Maternity n/a No impact Race All persons of any race should be able to vote in person at a polling place if they so choose. All polling places will have translations of key voting instructions available to assist those who cannot read English. No adverse comments received from any ethnic minority group on council list of equality groups. No Impact Religion and Belief All polling places will have either a private room or a privacy screen to allow a person to remove their face covering to be identified at UK elections. Voters can choose to vote by post or proxy if they do not wish to remove their face covering. No adverse comments received from any ethnic minority group on council list of equality groups. No impact Sexual Orientation n/a No impact Actions Policy has a negative impact on an equality group,but is still to be implemented, please provide justification for this. No negative impact on any equality group Will the impact of the policy be monitored and reported on an ongoing bases? The polling scheme is reviewed annually and any permanent changes to the scheme are subject to a public consultation exercise and must be suitable and accessible to all. Q7 What is you recommendation for this policy? Intoduce Please provide a meaningful summary of how you have reached the recommendation The polling scheme has been subject to full public consultation involving all equality groups in West Dunbartonshire. Consequently, it is proposed that no changes be made to existing polling district boundaries and no new polling places will be added to scheme unless
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existing places are not available for use. All new polling places will be subject to inspection by the election office and only recommended for use if accessible and fit for purpose.