RESIDENTS of a tiny Exmoor village will face a ‘four-mile hike’ if they want to vote in next year’s elections for Somerset Council and their parish council.

It follows the unitary authority’s decision to stop using Hawkridge Village Hall as a polling station, one of 34 it is dropping before next May.

The council said Hawkridge had only about 40 people on the electoral roll, which was not enough to justify a polling station.

But, the move was criticised by Conservative Somerset Cllr Steven Pugsley, who represents Exmoor along with colleague Cllr Frances Nicholson.

Cllr Pugsley, a former leader of the now defunct West Somerset Council, said: “Rural polling stations are one thing, extremely rural polling stations are another.

“I do think it is absolutely incumbent upon us to recognise the fact that, however costly they might be, making sure democracy reaches to all corners of the county is absolutely imperative, even on Exmoor.”

Cllr Pugsley said the next nearest polling station for the village was four miles away in Dulverton Town Hall.

He said: “I believe it is important we maintain these deeply rural polling stations in areas like that where the alternatives are limited.

“This is about making sure that democracy is available to everybody.

“Exmoor is one of the most sparsely populated areas of the county, but that therefore means we have to make above and beyond provision for rural areas.

“It needs to be there, if nothing else as a signal to everybody else that Somerset Council takes rural democracy seriously.”

Conservative Cllr Sue Osborne said she shared reservations about postal voting for people living in rural areas.

She said: “At the moment, the rural postal service leaves a lot to be desired.

“I would be very concerned that there is a risk that people may not get their postal votes through.”