A vote and a vodka-tonic might be the prospect for people in one of Swindon’s council wards.

A proposal will be put to Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet next week to change where people can vote in St Andrews ward in the northern suburbs of the town.

And one of them will be a pub - the Jovial Monk.

There are currently five distinct polling districts in the ward - each with a polling station, and a second proposal is to create a fifth serving the south of the ward around Abbey meeds primary School.

If that area is created from the existing polling district, in Blunsdon St Andrew, that leaves the reminder of the ‘old district’ without a polling station.

Hence the proposal to make the Jovial Monk a place where voters can make their democratic choice.

The report to the cabinet says: “The current polling district sits either side of Thamesdown Drive and the 3648 on the register vote in a double polling station at Abbey Meads Primary School, which does not have onsite parking.”

Voters who drive have to park at Abbey Meads Village Centre and walk to the school. The report says use of the centre by voters at another polling station causes parking issues, and the location of the polling station south of Thamesdown Drive makes it hard to reach for those living north of the major road.

Solutions include changing the polling stations for voters in 13 streets around Pennine way to Bridlewood Primary School, and llowing people in streets south of Thamesdown Drive to continue voting at Abbey Meads Primary.

The final step is making the polling station for streets north of the dual carriageway the Jovial Monk in Highdown Way.

The report says adding the new polling station will cost about £500 to the costs of elections.

One of three Conservative councillors for the ward, Councillor Vera Tomlinson is fully in favour of the proposals, which might address the low levels of turnouts in the area in local elections. In both 2014 and 2016 council election turn out did not exceed 29 per cent and in last year’s election was below 40 per cent.

Coun Tomlinson said: “There are a lot of new houses in the area north of Salzgitter Drive, and of course in Tadpole Farm, and a lot of them have to go by a really roundabout way, so this is an excellent idea.

“I hope this will see more people in the ward come out to vote. It’s every important that people are able to get out and make their democratic choice.

“As a council we should be doing everything we can to remove those obstacles that stop people going out to vote- it should be as easy as possible.”

If the cabinet agrees to the new polling districts , the final decision will be taken by the full council.

If approved then the new divisions, the new polling station won’t be used in local elections in May next year. The next local election in St Andrews will be in 2020 for the seat, one of three for the ward, won by Coun Tomlinson in 2016.