Parliamentary and Local Elections

The Elections Office has to maintain a list of public rooms that could be booked for election meetings.  The following is a list of schools and community rooms / centres:-

• Stone Station Community Centre - contact Stone Town Council on Tel 01785 619740
• Frank Jordan Centre, Stone - contact as above
• Staffordshire County Council - Please contact the County Council for information on schools and colleges.

To book any rooms / school halls please liaise directly with the contact details above.

Under the Representation of the People Act 1983 (s95) candidates at a Parliamentary election are entitled to use, for the purpose of holding public meetings in furtherance of their candidature, suitable rooms free of charge within the electoral area e.g. Constituency, at reasonable times between the Receipt of the Writ and the day before the poll. 

Suitable meeting rooms include premises that are maintained wholly or mainly out of public funds.  This includes all schools that are community, foundation, voluntary or academies.  A meeting room is defined as any room which it is the practice to let for the public.  For schools this would normally mean the hall.

Such rooms can also be used for local elections from the last day for the submission of nominations.

Where a room is used for a meeting the hirer can be charged expenses incurred for the heating, lighting and attendance for the meeting including restoring the room to its usual condition after the meeting and shall pay for any damage.  Reasonable notice must be given and for school premises the hiring should not be during school hours or affect the operation of the school.  Schools can charge a nominal fee as on polling day e.g. to compensate for the heating, lighting, caretaker to open/close up and for the setting up / restoring the room.