Telford polling stations reviewed in run up to 2027 elections

A quirky historic polling station in Ironbridge is set to be taken off the list of places where voters go to cast their crosses at election time.

Concerns have been raised about ease of access to the Toll House amid issues with several other buildings that have been used to house polling stations at election time.

The Ironbridge Toll House used to charge those who wished to cross the Iron Bridge, built in 1779, from which the area drew its name. It is now used as an information centre.

Officials at Telford & Wrekin Council have proposed using a portable building on the Station Road car park in Ironbridge instead.

Disabled members of Telford & Wrekin Council's Making it Real Board helped officials spot concerns over access and available facilities, the report notes.

Concerns about the suitability of five polling places has seen officials proposing alternatives.

Issues over ease of access to Jackfield Community Centre mean that officials have proposed an alternative location is needed for the Coalport and Jackfield ward of The Gorge Parish Council.

Another portable building in the car park will is set to replace the Red Lion Annex, at Holyhead Road as a polling place for Wellington Town Council's Ercall ward.

And an alternative location is being proposed for the Wilsons Auctions site which serves as a polling place for the Trench Lock ward and the Oakengates & Ketley Bank ward.

Final touches are being put on a new map of places where Telford and Wrekin electors will go to vote in next May's (2027) all out elections.

A review of polling stations was carried out after a shake up of the borough's town and parish council boundaries was completed earlier this year.

The shake up meant that polling boundaries had to be lined up with the new parishes.

Electors are sent poll cards just before an election which tells them where they need to go to vote. They can only vote at the polling station location named on your card.

The review affects 13 of the 32 wards in the borough including Ercall, Ironbridge Gorge, Madeley & Sutton Hill, Malinslee & Dawley Bank, Muxton, Oakengates & Ketley Bank, Priorslee, The Nedge and Woodside.

Many of the polling stations will be unchanged, a report to councillors points out.

In Malinslee & Dawley Bank changes to which streets are in which areas has caused a rejig.

The unavailability of a building at Chillcot Gardens means that an alternative is being sought for the Cuckoo Oak ward at Madeley Town Council.

A polling station is also being sought for the new parish council created at Priorslee.

The report to Monday's meeting of the boundary review committee also reveals the differences in the number of voters for each polling place.

Just 75 electors in the Eyton upon the Weald Moors parish will be able to use the polling station at St Lawrence C of E Primary School, at Preston Upon The Weald Moors.

At the other end of the range 4,115 electors will be called on to go to the Park Lane Centre, in Park Lane to vote in Woodside.

There are several polling stations where the number of registered voters was greater than an officially allowed 2,250 maximum. To deal with that more election workers will be needed to staff additional polling stations but within the same polling place building.

The report was set to be presented to a meeting of the boundary review committee on Monday, November 9, 2026.

Councillors were being invited to recommend the changes to a meeting of the full council.