{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-regional-assembly-and-local-government-referendums-order-2004/schedule-1/paragraph-21",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-regional-assembly-and-local-government-referendums-order-2004/schedule-1/paragraph-21.json",
  "legislation": "ukdsi/2004/0110494687",
  "legislation_title": "The Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums Order 2004",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/draft-regional-assembly-and-local-government-referendums-order-2004",
  "path": "schedule/1/paragraph/21",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "21",
  "heading": "Provision of assistance and delivery points",
  "text": "(1) The counting officer shall provide a number of assistance and delivery points in each voting area for the delivery by hand of ballot papers and at which the facilities specified in rules 24, 27 and 28 are provided (in these Rules called an “assistance and delivery point”).\n(2) The number of assistance and delivery points provided in each voting area shall be—\n(a) one for every 50,000 persons entitled to vote at the referendum in that area; and\n(b) a further one, where, in that area, the number of persons entitled to vote at the referendum exceeds a multiple of 50,000.\n(3) The counting officer may provide additional assistance and delivery points as he thinks fit.\n(4) Where there are combined polls, any assistance and delivery point provided in the voting area for the combined polls shall be used for both of the referendums.\n(5) Where the counting officer provides a mobile additional assistance and delivery point it shall be open on such dates, times and at such locations as the counting officer shall decide.\n(6) Except as provided in paragraph (5), each assistance and delivery point shall be open—\n(a) on the date of the referendum between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.; and\n(b) on every day, except Saturday and Sunday, from the seventh day before the date of the referendum to the day before the date of the referendum, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and such other hours (if any) as the counting officer shall decide.\n(7) Any assistance and delivery point may also be open—\n(a) on such other days before the date of the referendum, including a Saturday or Sunday mentioned in paragraph (6)(b); and\n(b) at such times on those days,\nas the counting officer shall think fit.\n(8) Where the counting officer concludes that it is not reasonably practicable to use or continue to use an assistance and delivery point (“the original assistance and delivery point”), he shall—\n(a) substitute for the original assistance and delivery point an alternative assistance and delivery point (“the substitute assistance and delivery point”), which is as close as is reasonably possible to the original assistance and delivery point; and\n(b) by posting a notice at the original assistance and delivery point, and at such other places and by such other means as he considers are appropriate to draw the change to the attention of voters in his voting area, give public notice—\n(i) of the addresses of the substitute assistance and delivery point and the original assistance and delivery point; and\n(ii) that the original assistance and delivery point is no longer available for use for delivery by hand of ballot papers and that the substitute assistance and delivery point should be used in its place.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2004/0110494687/schedule/1/paragraph/21",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-30T15:23:43.165722+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}