Review of polling districts, polling places and polling stations 2025

What polling districts, polling places and polling stations are

• A polling district is the smallest geographical area used for electoral administration. Gateshead is currently split into 102 of these and there are between 4 and 6 polling districts per local government ward.
• A polling place is a building or area that all electors located within a given polling district go to vote. We try to ensure that each polling place is located within its respective polling district, but this is not always possible.
• A polling station is the building or room within a polling place where voting takes place. Some polling places can have more than one polling station.

What this review is

Every 5 years, we must review all the Parliamentary polling districts, polling places and polling stations in our geographical area.

Following the statutory review earlier in the year, this is the extensive review which will take into account all the changes to the local government ward boundaries that will take effect for the local government elections in May 2026. These ward boundary changes were proposed by the Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBCE) following a consultation.

This review is to ensure the Parliamentary polling districts, polling places and polling stations meet the reasonable needs of voters and that polling places provide suitable accessibility facilities.

Consultation

There will be a 6-week public consultation which will start in September 2025. This is your opportunity to tell us your views about the polling arrangements in your ward, or share any comments you have about the arrangements across the borough.

All comments received during the consultation will be evaluated carefully. Final proposals will be considered and any revised arrangements will come into effect when the Electoral Register is published on 1 December 2025.

Any comments given during the recent statutory review earlier in the year will be considered again at this review. 

For further information, you can call the Election team on 0191 433 3963.