Our Lib Dem councillors are trying to alter polling district boundaries and polling stations to enable more students to vote on or close to the university campus. If successful, their proposals would effectively disenfranchise many permanent residents. The first alteration would involve transferring voters from part of polling district HWD to polling district HWF. The Lib Dems give the following reason for the change,
“Most of the residents being moved into HWF are students at St Mark’s flats and student residents on Clarendon Road so would best be served by a polling station at the university.”
But what of the retired people who live in the Harrison Potter Home on Raglan Road. At present they can vote simply by walking down the road to Woodhouse Community Centre but under the Lib Dem proposal they’ll be required to go to the university campus to vote. The students who live in St Mark’s flats and Samara Plaza can presently quite easily vote at Woodhouse Community Centre, but it would not be so easy for permanent residents to visit the university.
The second Lib Dem proposal would require all the voters in polling district HWF north of Woodhouse Lane to vote at the new Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building inside the university campus, instead of as at present, in the Parkinson Building. Apparently, the university has said that it will no longer allow the Parkinson Building to be used as a polling station, and the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building is the alternative being proposed by the Lib Dems, presumably with the agreement of the university. If this change goes ahead, it will deter many permanent residents from voting as most local people do not know their way round the university campus. If the Parkinson Building is no longer available for use as a polling station, then an alternative should be provided outside the university campus. Local residents should not be required to enter the university campus in order to vote.
The third Lib Dem proposal affects a polling district boundary not shown on the above map. If it goes ahead, it would mean that two student tower blocks would be transferred from polling district HWH to polling district HWG. The Lib Dems give the following reason for the proposal,
“Two new large student blocks, Concept Place and The Triangle are a lot further from the polling station in HWH than they are from the polling station in HWG at the Swarthmore Centre on Woodhouse Square”
This is actually not the case. The Triangle is equidistant between the two polling stations and Concept Place is only very slightly closer to the Swarthmore Centre. This proposal has been designed like the other two, with the interests of students in mind as the Swarthmore Centre is very close to the university. However, unlike the other two proposals, it appears to have no negative consequences for permanent residents.
Where you vote is supposed to be based on where you live. But for a very large number of students, our Lib Dem councillors are trying to make it more about where you study. And they’re doing this at the expense of permanent residents.
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