Swindon Borough Council is believed to be considering introducing an extra polling station at the new Oakhurst Primary School. The Electoral Commission this week ordered a review of polling stations in many areas. They also said the rules should be changed so that people still in a queue at 10pm should be allowed to vote.
Cllr Peter Heaton-Jones, who was elected in May and saw the queues for himself, said, "As far as I know everyone in Abbey Meads was allowed to vote, even if they were still queueing at 10pm, so I'm pleased that Swindon Borough Council used common sense in this area. However the queues were simply unacceptable, so I'm pleased that we look set to get a new polling station in Abbey Meads."
North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson, who lives in Abbey Meads, has previously raised concerns about the number of polling stations in the area. He said: “It is right to increase Swindon’s polling stations so that there aren’t still queues at 10pm and in principle I welcome the right for those who are already queueing to be able to vote, though they will have to look into the practicalities of how that is policed. I also want to see more flexibility in terms of advance voting and also making sure there are sufficient staff at peak times."