Referendums (Scotland) Act 2020

Use of schools and public rooms for polling and counting votes S

7 (1) The counting officer may use, free of charge, for the purpose of taking the poll or counting the votes— S

(a) a suitable room in the premises of a school to which this rule applies in accordance with paragraph (2), and

(b) any meeting room to which this rule applies in accordance with paragraph (3).

(2) This rule applies to any school maintained by an education authority.

(3) This rule applies to meeting rooms situated in Scotland the expense of maintaining which is payable wholly or mainly by—

(a) the Scottish Ministers or any other part of the Scottish Administration, or

(b) any Scottish public authority with mixed functions or no reserved functions (within the meaning of the Scotland Act 1998).

(4) The counting officer—

(a) must pay any expenses incurred in preparing, warming, lighting and cleaning the room and restoring the room to its usual condition after use for the referendum, and

(b) must pay for any damage done to the room or the premises in which it is situated, or to the furniture, fittings or apparatus in the room or premises by reason of its being used for the purposes of taking the poll or counting the votes.

(5) For the purposes of this rule (except those of paragraph (4)(b)), the premises of a school are not to be taken to include any private dwelling.

(6) In this rule—

• “dwelling” includes any part of a building where that part is occupied separately as a dwelling,

• “meeting room” means any room which it is the practice to let for public meetings,

• “room” includes a hall, gallery or gymnasium.