A Green Party councillor decried the harm to children’s education caused by polling day closures.

This year, schools up and down the country have faced three days of closures, due to local elections, European elections and now the snap General Election.

Wirral Council chose its polling stations for the 2020 local elections last night.

At the meeting, Green Party councillor Chris Cooke said: “The educational argument is that children’s education is affected by closures.

“My concern is that schools can be closed up to three times a year.”

One reason state schools are used as polling stations is that the local authority does not have to pay to use them.

On this basis, Cllr Cooke asked: “Does the authority have a policy to use schools?”

To which a council officer replied Wirral Council does not, but other premises are difficult to secure. Many churches are reluctant to have their premises used as polling stations for instance.

In next year’s local elections, 45 out of Wirral’s 103 polling stations will be schools, that is a number that concerned Cllr Cooke.

One option is for schools to stay open while polling is going on.

However, a council officer said many schools found that difficult to do and just seven Wirral schools used as polling stations were able to stay open during May’s local elections.

Given these difficulties, councillors across the board were happy with the polling stations the council had decided on for next year’s local elections.

A small number of polling stations will be changed for May’s local elections, for which a full list will be published next year.

The full list of Wirral’s polling stations for the General Election on December 12 is below:

  • Grange URC Hall, Kings Lane
  • Town Lane Infant School, Town Lane
  • St Andrews C of E Primary School, Townfield Lane
  • Brackenwood Junior School, Norbury Avenue
  • Victoria Hall, Victoria Hall Walk
  • Little Centre Beechwood Ltd, Fifth Avenue
  • Bidston Village C of E Primary School, Ballantyne Drive
  • Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, Gautby Road
  • St James Centre, Laird Street
  • Our Lady & St Edward Catholic Primary School, Old Bidston Road
  • The Priory C of E Primary School, Trinity Street Entrance
  • Charing Cross Methodist Centre, Claughton Road
  • Birkenhead Town Hall, Hamilton Square
  • Birkenhead Central Library, Borough Road
  • The Woodlands Primary School, Hollybank Road
  • Kings Church, Victoria Fields
  • Mersey Park Primary School, Elm Road
  • New Ferry Village Hall, Grove Street
  • Church Drive Primary School, Church Drive
  • Former Dig It Community Project Building, Dock Road South
  • Woodslee Primary School, Croft Avenue
  • Bromborough Civic Centre, Allport Lane
  • Stanton Road Primary School, Stanton Road
  • Poulton Lancelyn Primary School, Venables Drive
  • Brookhurst Primary School, Brookhurst Road
  • All Saints Church Hall, Church Road
  • St Peter`s Catholic Primary School, St Peters Way
  • St Andrews Church Centre, Moorfield Avenue
  • Bidston Avenue Primary School, Bidston Avenue Entrance
  • Birkenhead Quaker Meeting House, Park Road South
  • Sea Cadet Unit, Park Road East
  • Mendell Primary School, Allport Lane
  • Scout Hut, Ferry Road
  • Heygarth Primary School, Heygarth Road
  • Eastham Youth Centre, Lyndale Avenue
  • Delamere Community Centre, Delamere Avenue
  • Greasby Infant School, Hall Drive
  • Greasby Methodist Church Hall, Pickerill Road
  • Irby Methodist Church Hall, Mill Hill Road
  • Irby Primary School, Coombe Road
  • Barnston Primary School, Sandham Grove
  • Gayton Primary School, Gayton Road
  • Church of the Good Shepherd Hall, Telegraph Road
  • St Peters Parish Centre, Village Road
  • St Johns Church Centre, School Lane
  • Hoylake C of E Primary School, Market Street
  • Hope Church Wirral, Station Road
  • West Kirby Methodist Church, Westbourne Road
  • New Brighton Rugby Club, Reeds Lane
  • The Millennium Centre, Twickenham Drive
  • Eastway Family Centre, Eastway
  • Sacred Heart Parish Centre, Hoylake Road
  • Sandbrook Primary School, Stavordale Road
  • Marlowe Road URC Hall (Station A), Marlowe Road
  • Marlowe Road URC Hall (Station B), Marlowe Road
  • Grosvenor Ballroom, Grosvenor Street
  • The Old Egremont Mission, Guildford Street
  • Christ Church Parish Centre, Upton Road
  • Moreton Community Centre, Maryland Lane
  • Moreton Baptist Church, Hoylake Road
  • The Grange Public House, Hoylake Road
  • St Marys Church Centre, Saughall Massie Road
  • St Peter & Paul Catholic Primary School, Sandringham Drive
  • New Brighton Primary School, Vaughan Road
  • Earlston Library, Earlston Road
  • Liscard Primary School, Withens Lane
  • Sea Cadet Training HQ, Victoria Road
  • Scout Hut, Bidston Road
  • Oxton St Saviours C of E Primary School, Holm Lane
  • St Josephs Catholic Primary School, Fairview Road
  • Christ Church Hall, Bessborough Road
  • Thingwall Primary School, Pensby Road
  • Emmanuel Church, Heswall Mount
  • Pensby Primary School, Greenbank Drive
  • Pensby Childrens Centre, Fishers Lane
  • Christ Church Hall, Barnston Road
  • St Stephens Church Hall, Prenton Lane
  • Prenton Primary School, Bramwell Avenue
  • Dixie Suite, Tranmere Rovers FC, Borough Road
  • Devonshire Park Primary School, Temple Road
  • Bedford Drive Primary School, Hesketh Avenue
  • Rock Ferry Library, Old Chester Road
  • The Barnabas Room, St Peters Church, St Peters Road
  • Highfield URC Schoolroom, Rock Lane West
  • Riverside Primary School, Brighton Street
  • Somerville Primary School, Northbrook Road
  • St Josephs Catholic Primary School, Wheatland Lane
  • Park Primary School, Love Lane
  • Overchurch Infant School, Moreton Road
  • Upton Victory Hall, Salacre Lane
  • Gilbrook School, Glebe Hey Road
  • Fender Primary School, New Hey Road
  • Woodchurch C of E Primary School, Church Lane
  • Oldershaw Academy, Valkyrie Road
  • Jubilee Church, Hoseside Road
  • Wallasey URC Hall, Wallasey Village
  • Greenleas Primary School, Green Lane
  • Wallasey Village Library, St Georges Road
  • St Michaels Church Hall, Frankby Road
  • West Kirby Concourse, Grange Road
  • St Bridgets Centre, St Bridgets Lane
  • Dawpool C of E Primary School, School Lane
  • Newton Village Hall, Grange Cross Lane