Local Government Boundary Commission For England Report No. 346 LOCAL GOVERNi-D-JNT BOUNDARY COAIWISSIOK FOR ESGLAHD REPORT NO. LOCAL OOVKRKMEIJT ^OUriDAIJY COMMISSION FOii ENGLAND CHAIRMAH Sir Nicholas Morrison KCB DEPUTY CHAIRMAN Mr J H Rankin QC MEMBERS Lady Boxvden Mr J T Brockbank Mr R R Thornton CB DL Mr T) P Harrison Professor G E Cherry To the Secretary of State for the Home Department PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF LEEDS IN THE COUNTY OF WEST YORKSHIRE 1. We, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, having carried out our initial review of the electoral arrangements for the metropolitan district of the City of Leeds in accordance with the requirements of section 63 of, and Schedule 9 to, the Local Government Act 1972, present our proposals for the future electoral arrangements for that city. 2_. In accordance with the procedure laid down in section 60(1) and (2) of the 1972 Act, notice was given on 27 August 1975 that we were to undertake this review. This was incorporated in a consultation letter addressed to Leeds City Council, copies of which were circulated to West Yorkshire County Council;, parish councils in the district, Members of Parliament for the constituencies concerned and the headquarters of the main political parties. Copies were also sent to the editors of the local newspapers circulating in the area and of the local government press. Notices inserted in the local press announced the start of the review and invited comments from members of the public and from interested bodies. 3. Leeds City Council were invited to prepare a draft scheme of representation for our consideration. In doing so, they were asked to observe the rules laid down in Schedule 11 to the Local Government Act 1972 and the guidelines which we set out in our Report No. 6 about the proposed size of the council and the proposed number of councillors for each ward. They were also asked to take into account views expressed to them following their consultation with local interests. We there'fore asked that they should publish details of their provisional proposals about a month before they submitted their draft scheme to us, thus allowing an opportunity for local comment. 4- .Section 7(3) of the Local Government Act 1972 requireethat in metropolitan districts elections shall be by thirds, .Section 6(2)(b) of the Act requires that every metropolitan district shall be divided into wards each returning a number of councillors divisible by three. 5. Oh 30 April 19?6, Leeds City Council presented their draft scheme of representation. They proposed to divide 'the area of the City into 36 wards each returning 3 councillors to produce a council of 108 members. On 21 May 1976, the City Council withdrew the scheme and, on 10 September 1976f submitted a scheme providing for 33 wards each returning 3 councillors to form a council of 99 members. j « 6. We considered the City Council's draft scheme together with related comments. We noted that there was considerable dissatisfaction with the scheme on the grounds that in certain areas local ties had been broken; but we saw no way of meeting these objections without creating unacceptable inequality of representation. We decided to transfer a parish from one proposed ward to another, to change the name of one of the proposed wards and to accept minor boundary adjustments suggested by Ordnance Survey. Subject to these modifications we decided to base our draft proposals on the draft scheme submitted by Leeds City Council. 7. On 12 July 1977 we issued our draft proposals a"nd these were sent to all who had received our consultation letter or had commented on the Council's draft scheme. Leeds City Council were asked to make these draft proposals, and the accompanying map which defined the proposed ward boundaries, available for inspection at their main offices. Representations on our draft proposals were invited from those to whom they were circulated .and, by public notices, from other members of the public and interested bodies. We asked that comments should reach us by 6 September 1977. 8. We received 4 petitions and about 250 letters in response to our draft proposals. Respondents included Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire County Council, parish and town councils, residents1 and ratepayers' associations, amenity groups and committees, trades unions, a womens guild, local political parties and associations, and individual members of the public. * 9. In view of these comments we decided that we needed further information to enable us to reach a conclusion. Therefore in accordance with section 65(2) of the 1972 Act and at our request,.Mr S Astin MBE was appointed an Assistant Commissioner. He was asked to hold a local meeting and to report to us. Notice of the meeting was sent to all who had received our draft proposals or had commented on them, and was published locally. 10. The Assistant Commissioner held a meeting at the Civic Theatre, Leeds, on 13 and 14 December 1977 and inspected certain areas of the district. A copy of his report to us is attached at Schedule 1 to this report. 11. In the light of the discussion at the meeting and his inspection of the areas involved, the Assistant Commissioner recommended that the metropolitan district of the City of Leeds be divided into 33 wards, each to return 3 councillors, as outlined and named in paragraph 7 of his report. 12. We have reviewed our draft proposals in the light of the comments received and of the Assistant Commissioner's report. The Assistant Commissioner's recommendations entailed some considerable adjustment of the detail of the ward pattern of our draft proposals, v/e noted that in making these recommendations he had sought so far as possible to reflect local wishes, including those expressed by the political parties, to distinguish between the rural and urban areas of the City, and to maintain identifiable communities within single wards. We further noted that the standards of representation which evolved from the Assistant Commissioner's recommendations - based, as they were, on more-up-to-date electoral figuree - were better overall than those of our draft proposals. V/e concluded that we should accept the recommendations of the Assistant Commissioner, and subject to some minor boundary adjustments suggested to us by Ordnance Survey, we have formulated our final proposals accordingly. 13. Details of these final proposals are set out in Schedule 2 and 3 to this report and on the attached map. Schedule 2 gives the names of the wards and the number of councillors to be returned by each. A detailed description of the boundaries of the proposed wards, as defined on the map, is set out in Schedule 3- FU3LICATIOJI 14. In accordance with Section 60 (5)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, a copy of this report and a copy of the map are being sent to Leeds City Council and will be available for inspection at the Council's main offices. Copies of this report (without the map) are also being sent to those who received the consultation letter and to those who made comments. L.S. Signed: NICHOLAS MORRISON JOHN M RANKIN (DEPUTY CHAIRMAN) PHYLLIS BOWDEN TYRRELL BROCKBANK G E CHERRY D P HARRISON R R THORNTON LESLIE GRIMSHAW (Secretary) ' 15 MARCH 1979 SCHEDULE 1 LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOUNDARY COMMISSION Review of Electoral Arrangements'- City of Leeds In accordance with the instructions contained in the Commission's letter of 17th November 1977, I conducted a Local Meeting as Assistant Commissioner at the Civic Theatre, Leeds, on Tuesday and Wednesday the 13th arid 14-th December 1977, to hear and to discuss representations with regard to the future electoral arrangements in the City of Leeds - a Metropolitan District in the County of west Yorkshire. 1. ATTENDANCES . I attach as Appendix "A" a list showing the names and addresses of the persons attending the meeting and where appropriate the organisations they represented. 2. COMMISSION'S PROPOSALS The Commission's Draft Proposals for the City of Leeds set out in the Commission's letter to the City Council of 12th July 1977 proposed 33 wards returning; 99 Councillors (3 Councillors per ward).' Prior to the consideration and formulation of the Draft Proposals the Commission had received, first, a draft scheme providing for 36 wards each returning 3 Councillors (a total- Council of 108 members) this being submitted by the City Council in April 1976, the Council then being controlled by a combined Labour and Liberal majority. This suggested provision of 36 wards satisfactorily fitted in wii.h initial ideas of the vjest Yorkshire County Council for there to be a County Council comprising 99 members (Leeds having 36 County Councillors representing the City Council area). Subsequently, however, following the hay 1976 City elections, in which the Conservative i-yrty gained overall control on the City Council, the Council decided to withdraw its 108 members scheme and on 10th September 1976 the Council submitted a new scheme for 33 wards (99 members). In the meantime, there had been discussions between representatives of the five Districts making up the ,.est Yorkshire County and also the County Council, to which representatives of the Boundary Commission had been invited, and at this/neeting an alternative plan emerged for a County Council of ty'd members (of whom the Leeds City area would elect 33 County Councillors). Subsequently, the City of Leeds Labour Party submitted an alternative 99 members scheme sncl this was followed by the re-submission by County Councillor C. Greenfield of the City Council's original lOo members scheme, and then later the labour Party withdrew their own alternative 99 members scheme, in favour of the original r.cheme for the larger Counci.1 Kiufc of 10*; mumbu.rs.