Officers recommend most of the proposed polling place moves, from Upton to Barnton. Two Chester districts still have no venue, and Helsby keeps Horns Mill.
Updated 9 November: the consultation has closed and the council’s elections team has published its final recommendations, in Appendix 1 to a report for the Audit and Governance Committee on 17 November. Most moves go ahead as proposed. Three do not. Details are in the new section below.
Cheshire West and Chester Council wants to change where people vote at 15 polling places across the borough, ahead of the elections due in May 2027. It is also proposing changes to three polling districts.
The council’s figures show 19,332 registered voters in the districts where a new polling place is proposed. Comments close on Wednesday 4 November.
The proposals are in the council’s consultation document for the 2026 interim polling scheme review. The voter numbers are as of September 2026.
What the council now recommends
The consultation drew 25 responses, 23 online and two by email, according to the council’s summary of responses.
These moves are recommended exactly as proposed:
- Upton: UB4 from the mobile station in the Morrisons car park to Chester Air Cadet Hall, Abbots Park; UI1 and UI2 from the Scout HQ on Weston Grove to Cheshire County Sports Club, Plas Newton Lane
- Chester: UB12 from Cherry Grove Primary School to the Rowlands Heights community room, off Francis Street
- Neston: UE2 from Neston Town Hall to Brio Neston, Raby Park Road
- Northwich and Winsford: Hartford Village Hall (XB1), Barnton Methodist Church (ZA4), Northwich RAF Cadet Hall on Darwin Street (XD6), the Cheshire County FA building at Hartford Moss (XB5), Cuddington and Sandiway Village Hall (VI13) and Brunner Guildhall (XI1)
- Ellesmere Port: WA4 from Bethany Church to Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish Hall, Enfield Road
- Helsby and Ashton Hayes: YC2 to St Paul’s Church Hall, Vicarage Lane; YC4 merged into YC1 at Helsby Community Centre; YD3 to Ashton Hayes Pavilion. The council says the old Ashton Hayes Parish Room is now a private home.
Three do not go ahead as proposed:
- UB3 and UB5, Chester (1,448 voters): Blue Coats Primary told the council during the consultation that its former SureStart building would not be free on 6 May 2027. The council says it is talking to the University of Chester and nearby places of worship. It asks for authority for the chief executive, as returning officer, to choose a venue. St Thomas’ Parish Hall, where these voters went before, is no longer in use.
- YC3, Helsby (1,225 voters): Helsby Community Sports Club said it could not host a polling station on 6 May 2027. Voters stay at Horns Mill Primary School, Denbigh Close.
The committee is asked to recommend the scheme to Full Council, along with a standing power for the chief executive to change polling places between reviews.
Why the council is doing it
The council says the aim is that every polling place is inside the district it serves, and is “suitable, convenient and accessible for all voters”. The reasons it gives for individual moves fall into a few groups:
- the current venue is in the wrong council ward for the voters who use it
- the venue will not be available in May 2027
- a single venue is handling too many voters
- a different building has better access and parking
- a mobile polling station costs money to hire
The review covers polling districts and polling places only. It does not change ward boundaries or parliamentary constituencies.
Chester, Upton and Neston
| District | Voters | Votes now at | Proposed | Council’s reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UB4 | 1,715 | Mobile polling station, Morrisons car park, Liverpool Road | Chester Air Cadet Hall, Upton | Saves the cost of hiring a mobile station; more central |
| UB5 | 960 | St Thomas’ Parish Hall, Parkgate Road | Former SureStart building at Blue Coats Primary School | Parish hall is closed for long-term refurbishment |
| UB3 | 488 | St Thomas’ Parish Hall, Parkgate Road | Former SureStart building at Blue Coats Primary School | As above |
| UB12 | 187 | Cherry Grove Primary School, Boughton | Rowland Heights Community Room | School is in the wrong ward for these voters |
| UI1 | 1,530 | Chester District Scout HQ, Weston Grove, Upton | Cheshire County Sports Club | More accessible, better parking |
| UI2 | 1,244 | Chester District Scout HQ, Weston Grove, Upton | Cheshire County Sports Club | As above |
| UE2 | 1,638 | Neston Town Hall, High Street | Brio Neston | Fewer voters at the town hall and a second venue in the town |
The UB4 change is the biggest in the city. The 1,715 voters in that district currently use a temporary unit in a supermarket car park.
Neston is about ten miles north west of Chester.
Mid Cheshire
| District | Voters | Votes now at | Proposed | Council’s reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XB1 (Hartford) | 2,327 | St John’s Church Hall, School Lane | Hartford Village Hall, if the parish council agrees | Fewer voters at St John’s |
| XI1 (Winsford) | 1,811 | New Images Youth and Community Centre, Nixon Drive | Brunner Guildhall | Fewer voters at New Images |
| ZA4 (Barnton) | 1,432 | Barnton Memorial Hall, Townfield Lane | Barnton Methodist Church, as a second venue | Fewer voters at the Memorial Hall |
| XD6 (Castle, Northwich) | 913 | Castle Sports and Social Club, David Street | RAF Cadet Hall, Castle | Fewer voters at the club |
| XB5 (Greenbank) | 521 | Christ Church Greenbank, Chester Road | Cheshire County Football Association building | Church is in the wrong ward for these voters |
| VI13 (Cuddington) | 45 | Lighthouse Former Church House, Church Lane | Cuddington and Sandiway Village Hall | Closer for voters in the district |
St John’s, New Images, the Castle club and Barnton Memorial Hall all stay in use for voters in other districts. Lighthouse Former Church House stays in use for voters in Weaverham.
Ellesmere Port, Helsby and the villages
| District | Voters | Votes now at | Proposed | Council’s reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YC2 (Helsby) | 1,314 | Helsby Hillside Primary School, Bates Lane | St Paul’s Church Hall, if the church agrees | More accessible, better parking |
| YC3 (Helsby) | 1,225 | Horns Mill Primary School, Denbigh Close | Helsby Community Sports Club, if the club agrees | More accessible, better parking |
| WA4 (Ellesmere Port) | 922 | Bethany Church, Flatt Lane | Our Lady of the Sea Parish Hall | Bethany Church is no longer operating |
| YD3 (Ashton Hayes) | 805 in Ashton Hayes and Horton cum Peel, 255 in Mouldsworth | Ashton Hayes Parish Room, West End | Ashton Hayes Pavilion | Feedback from voters in the village |
Helsby is about eight miles north east of Chester, and Ashton Hayes about seven miles east.
The three district changes
- Helsby YC4 (254 voters, Helsby Community Centre) would merge with YC1 to the north. The council says this balances numbers and reflects new housing in the south of the village.
- Norley VG12 and Rudheath XF2 would be abolished. Both have no registered voters. They were created as administrative areas after the 2023 parliamentary boundary review and are no longer needed.
The full list of every polling place, changed or not, is in the council’s documents by constituency. The Chester North and Neston list, for example, gives the address of every venue in the city and Neston.
What it means for you
If you vote at any venue above, this is the moment to say whether the new building would work for you. The council says it particularly wants to hear from people who vote at those places, and from disability groups.
No final decision has been made. The Audit and Governance Committee considers the recommendations on Tuesday 17 November, and Full Council decides in December.
How to comment
The council’s consultation page lists four ways, all open until Wednesday 4 November:
- the online questionnaire on that page
- email elreg@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk with the subject “Polling Scheme Review”
- post to Polling Scheme Review, Democratic Services, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BA
- phone 0300 123 8123, quoting “Polling Scheme Review”
Paper and other formats can be requested the same ways.
What happens next
According to the council, the elections team will review every response. A report goes to the Audit and Governance Committee in November. Full Council then considers the committee’s recommendations in December.
The review is being done ahead of the May 2027 elections, and approved changes would be used at future elections. The next full statutory review is due in 2028 or 2029.
Correction, 9 November: the Winsford district moving from New Images to Brunner Guildhall is XI1, not XI2 as we first wrote. The voter number, 1,811, was right.
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