Milton Keynes City Council carried out a Polling District and Polling Places Review (PDR) pursuant to the provisions of Schedule A1 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (as amended) and the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013. 

A PDR ensures that the arrangements of polling districts, polling places and polling stations allow electors to cast their votes as easily and conveniently as is reasonably practicable, taking account of the boundaries of the city wards and parliamentary constituencies. It will also ensure polling districts and polling places align with our new city warding patterns.  

The Review was conducted in accordance with the terms of reference contained in this document. It was not a review of city ward boundaries or the Parliamentary constituency boundaries.  

Formal Consultation 

The consultation on the draft recommendations for the review ran for twelve weeks between Thursday 19 June 2025 and finished on Thursday 11 September 2025. The consultation is now closed. 

Final Recommendations 

We reviewed all consultation submissions and used them to inform our final recommendations, which were then considered and approved at Full Council on Wednesday 22 October 2025. 

The Full council report, including the decision notice, final recommendations and reasons for the recommendations are available to view here.

Completion of the Review

Council agreed the final recommendations and the review is now concluded. In accordance with the requirements for such reviews, the Council has published the report (see above) which includes reasons for the decisions reached. The council has also published additional correspondence as required:  

• Final Schedule of Polling Districts and Polling Places
• PDR Final Recommendations
• PDR Consultation Responses
• Acting Returning Officer’s (ARO) response is published here.
• PDR Maps
• Emails sent to stakeholders regarding PDR consultation  
• Interactive Map

What happens next?  

The Revised Electoral Register will be published on the 1 December (reflecting agreed changes). Local Elections in May 2026 will be based on The Final Schedule of Polling districts and Polling Places.  

What did the review involve? 

The review process began with the publication of a Notice of Review on Wednesday 18 June 2025, inviting comments on our draft recommendations for 12 weeks from Thursday 19 June until Thursday 11 September 2025. 

Any elector in the city may make a representation in relation to the size and boundaries of polling districts and the location and suitability of polling places.  

The council also welcomed representations from 

• any elected members in the area
• political representatives
• any person or body with expertise in access for persons with any type of disability.   

What’s the difference between a polling district, place, and station? 

• a polling district is the area created by the separation of a ward into smaller parts, within which a polling place can be determined that is most suitable for electors.
• a polling place is the building or area in which the polling stations will be selected by the (Acting) Returning Officer. It could be defined as tightly as a particular building or as widely as the entire polling district.
• a polling station is the actual room or area where the process of voting takes place.  

What does the council consider when conducting a review?  

• That all electors in a constituency in the local authority area have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances.
• As far is reasonable and practicable that every polling place is accessible to electors who are disabled. 

What makes a suitable polling place?  

• Location: Should be consistently accessible within the district, free of physical barriers (e.g., steep hills, railways), and have convenient transport links.
• Size: Must be large enough to accommodate multiple polling stations if needed, allowing for high voter turnout and easy flow of voters. Double polling stations are common for high numbers of voters.
• Suitability: The building should be readily available for unscheduled elections, not at risk of demolition for new development, accessible to all voters, and provide adequate facilities for polling staff (toilets, kitchen, heating, lighting, furniture).