LOCAL GOVERNMENT (HOURS OF POLL). (Hansard, 30 March 1938)

§ Mr. Parker

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to provide for the extension of polling hours at county council and borough council elections. The object of the Bill is to provide for an extension of polling hours at county council and borough council elections by amending paragraph 3 of Part III of the Second Schedule of the Local Government Act, 1933. It is intended to allow an extension of polling hours from 8 o'clock to 9 o'clock in the evening if as many candidates as there are seats to be filled in any ward give due notice in writing to the returning officer beforehand. The present position is that this is already the law in the London County Council elections and in the Metropolitan borough council elections, and that certain county borough and municipal boroughs, such as Barking, have obtained similar powers by private Act. At the present time, urban district councils can extend their polling hours to any hour they wish. It is usually done only to 9 o'clock, but they have the power to extend to any 2006 hour, provided that the council have approved the hours which are fixed. For example, in the county of Essex at the present time, the urban districts of Dagenham, Thurrock and Hornchurch already have polling hours far in excess of those which are allowed to the municipal borough councils. The latter cannot extend their polling hours beyond 8 o'clock at night, and a county council cannot extend polling hours for its own elections although it can extend them for urban district council elections.

This anomaly produces a very real grievance in my constituency. For example, Romford was an urban district until recently and its polling hours extended to 9 o'clock. Last year it obtained a charter and became a municipal borough, with the result that its polling hours are now restricted to 8 o'clock. The charter year, last year, was used in the area to endeavour to develop civic consciousness, and in the elections last year, after the charter had been given, there was an unusually large poll. There were very long queues at the polling stations. A large number of people who work in the middle of London and lived some 2007 way out cannot get home until late at night. The result was that queues formed at the polling booths. The polling booths were closed at 8 o'clock and many people were turned away, and the result was that there were very nearly riots. Dagenham is asking for a charter. Its polling hours now finish at 9 o'clock, but if it gets its charter it will be limited to 8 o'clock, and the same problem will arise there as has already arisen in Romford.

It seems ridiculous that we should have long polling hours for elections for the London County Council, and for the municipal borough councils in the middle of London, but that in outer London, where there is far more need for longer hours, that should not be possible. The Bill would not only remove this anomaly in outer London, but would benefit all areas where there are many people who work a long way from home and come home late at night. In any area where this problem arises a substantial section of the electorate could get an extension of polling hours if they so wished. There are many complaints about the low poll which takes place in municipal elections to-day, and when that happens the Press gets very indignant about it. The Bill will help to remove one of the causes of a low poll. In conclusion, I would say that this Bill is not intended to be a party Measure in any way. Of the two towns I have mentioned, Romford has a Conservative majority and Dagenham a Labour majority, yet all the members of both councils unanimously support the Bill.