PEOPLE living in sheltered homes in High Wycombe are annoyed that they are going to have to walk half a mile to vote on Thursday when there is a polling station on their doorstep.

They have not a clue why, apart from being told it is something to do with boundaries.

Things could have been changed at the last minute, but it needed the agreement of all the political party agents and the Conservatives would not agree.

Pamela Sims and her husband, Brian, live at Parsonage Close, part of a development of flats and bedsits, with a community hall which will be the polling station

"But I have to go to Chichester Close to vote," said Mr Sims. "It's ridiculous."

Even the warden, who lives above the community centre, has to go to Chichester Close, half a mile away down the hill.

Mrs Sims is 64 and her husband is 67, but they said some of the people involved were in their 80s and 90s.

Mr Sims said people had told him they were not prepared to tramp all that way to vote.

The seemingly illogical situation is all because of ward boundaries. The people in Parsonage Close live in Keep Hill and Hicks Farm ward and their polling station is Chichester Close which is also in the ward.

People living nearby in Bowerdean and Daws Hill ward used to vote at a polling station at the Methodist Church but that closed and the district council had to find another public building. The nearest was the community centre at Parsonage Close.

Ted Collins, Labour's general election agent in Wycombe, said: "There are a lot of old people in Parsonage Close. This will deter them from voting."

Sue Hynard, the Conservative agent, said that the returning officer had sent out the list of polling stations for informal consultation months before.

She said that would have been the time for the Labour Party to ask for a change, not at the eleventh hour.