An appeal can only be brought on the grounds that the review of UK Parliamentary polling districts or polling places was not conducted so as to 1
:
meet the reasonable requirements of the electors in the constituency or any body of those electors, or
take sufficient account of the accessibility to disabled persons of polling stations within a designated polling place.
An appeal may be brought on either or both of the above two grounds.
These grounds include both the way in which the review was carried out, i.e. the review process, and the outcome of the review, i.e. the polling district and/or place that was designated.
For example a review may not have been not conducted so as to meet the reasonable requirements of the electors in the constituency in respect of either or both of the procedural steps that were taken by the authority / CEONI during the review or the authority’s / CEONI’s decision at the end of the process to designate a particular polling district or place.
An appeal can only be made in respect of a completed review of UK Parliamentary polling districts or polling places. An appeal cannot be made where, for example:
the review has not been completed - an appeal can only be made after the authority / CEONI has made a decision at the end of the review to designate polling districts and polling places.
the authority / CEONI has failed to carry out a review, as required by legislation 2
, and where the appellant seeks to challenge that failure. Any person seeking to challenge any such failure should seek their own legal advice. A failure to carry out a review includes a failure to publish notice of a review or a failure to make a decision as to new polling districts and polling places.
a UK Parliamentary polling district or polling place has been changed outside of a review - any person seeking to challenge any such change should seek their own legal advice.
There is no right of appeal in respect of a Returning Officer’s decision as to the location of polling stations at any election.