The count of votes for the Penrith & Solway constituency in the 2024 General Election will take place in Workington.
Election logistics are organised by Cumberland Council and it has confirmed that the town’s leisure centre will be used following the July 4 ballot.
Despite not being in the constituency – it is in Whitehaven & Workington – the authority said the leisure centre was chosen for a number of reasons.
A spokesman said: “Firstly, it is the most suitable facility which is owned by the council that can accommodate a count of this size, given the number of count staff required and the interest it might attract such as from candidates, agents and the media.
“The election count also requires good and guaranteed IT infrastructure to run smoothly – such as for the final postal vote opening session – and we know that this venue already has the IT links and other facilities in place.
“We are looking at ways in which we can get ballot boxes to the count as quickly as possible.”
One of the furthest points of the Penrith & Solway constituency is Nenthead, near Alston – around 63 miles from Workington and by car, an hour-and-a-half journey.
Penrith & Solway’s Conservative candidate Mark Jenkinson has branded the decision as absurd. He said: “Logistically and practically, having the count in Workington makes zero sense.
“Give or take 10 minutes, the returning officer’s staff at places like Alston will undertake a one-and-a-half-hour drive to deliver the ballot papers. This is madness.
“It would have been infinitely more sensible to hold the count somewhere that is not only in the constituency, but also in a more central location within it – Penrith or Wigton would have been more logical choices.”
