COUNCIL chiefs in Dorset have responded after disability campaigners urged authorities to ensure polling stations are fully accessible ahead of the general election.

Neil Heslop, Leonard Cheshire Disability’s CEO has written to all council chief executives in England to highlight how many disabled voters were left feeling like second-class citizens because of the experiences they had at the 2015 election.

He wants to make sure this isn’t repeated on June 8.

There are around 1.2 million disabled people of all ages in the south west.

Leonard Cheshire found that almost a quarter (24 per cent) of disabled people found it difficult to vote in person at polling stations in 2015. This included wheelchair users facing stairs and no disabled parking. In some cases large print ballot papers weren’t available or voting booths were too narrow, with shelves out of reach.

Guidance from the Electoral Commission says that disabled voters should not be offered a lower standard of service than other people in their community.

Councils should make all polling stations in their area accessible to wheelchair users. Clearly marked disabled car parking, staff trained to advise and help disabled voters, as well as adequate lighting and support for visually impaired voters are also necessary. Large print ballot papers need to be available.

Commenting on the position locally, Matt Prosser, Returning Officer for North Dorset, West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland, said: “Voting is a right for every person who is eligible and we take all steps possible to make sure people can take part in elections. The majority of our polling stations are accessible for disabled people to get to and vote once inside.

“We know that some are not as good as we’d like them to be. In most cases, this is because the buildings were built a long time ago and without any accessibility in mind. In these cases, we make sure that polling station staff are available to support people to exercise their right to vote and take any action to make sure this is possible."

Mr Prosser added: “Although it’s now too late for this election, people can apply for a postal or proxy vote. About 20 per cent of people who are registered choose to do this.”