Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for Bromley
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR BROMLEY Report to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions November 1999 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND This report sets out the Commission’s final recommendations on the electoral arrangements for Bromley. Members of the Commission are: Professor Malcolm Grant (Chairman) Professor Michael Clarke (Deputy Chairman) Peter Brokenshire Kru Desai Pamela Gordon Robin Gray Robert Hughes CBE Barbara Stephens (Chief Executive) ©Crown Copyright 1999 Applications for reproduction should be made to: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office Copyright Unit. The mapping in this report is reproduced from OS mapping by The Local Government Commission for England with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, ©Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence Number: GD 03114G. This report is printed on recycled paper. ii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND CONTENTS page LETTER TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE v SUMMARY vii 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 CURRENT ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS 5 3 DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS 9 4 RESPONSES TO CONSULTATION 11 5 ANALYSIS AND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS 15 6 NEXT STEPS 45 APPENDIX A Draft Recommendations for Bromley (June 1999) 47 A large map illustrating the proposed ward boundaries for Bromley is inserted inside the back cover of the report. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND iii iv LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Local Government Commission for England 30 November 1999 Dear Secretary of State On 5 January 1999 the Commission began a periodic electoral review of Bromley under the Local Government Act 1992. We published our draft recommendations in June 1999 and undertook an 11-week period of consultation. We have now prepared our final recommendations in the light of the consultation. We have substantially confirmed our draft recommendations, although some modifications have been made (see paragraph 185) in the light of further evidence. This report sets out our final recommendations for changes to electoral arrangements in Bromley. We recommend that the London Borough of Bromley should be served by 60 councillors representing 22 wards, and that changes should be made to ward boundaries in order to improve electoral equality, having regard to the statutory criteria. We note that you have now set out in the White Paper Modern Local Government – In Touch with the People (Cm 4014, HMSO), legislative proposals for a number of changes to local authority electoral arrangements. However, until such time as that new legislation is in place we are obliged to conduct our work in accordance with current legislation, and to continue our current approach to periodic electoral reviews. I would like to thank members and officers of the Borough Council and other local people who have contributed to the review. Their co-operation and assistance have been very much appreciated by Commissioners and staff. Yours sincerely PROFESSOR MALCOLM GRANT Chairman LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND v vi LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND SUMMARY The Commission began a review of Bromley ● In none of the 22 wards would the number of on 5 January 1999. We published our draft electors per councillor vary by more than 10 recommendations for changes to electoral per cent from the borough average by 2004. arrangements on 29 June 1999, after which we undertook an 11-week period of consultation. All further correspondence on these ● This report summarises the representations recommendations and the matters discussed we received during consultation on our draft in this report should be addressed to the recommendations, and contains our final Secretary of State for the Environment, recommendations to the Secretary of State. Transport and the Regions, who will not make an order implementing the Commission’s We found that the existing electoral arrangements recommendations before 11 January 2000: provide unequal representation of electors in Bromley: The Secretary of State Department of the Environment, ● in four of the 26 wards the number of Transport and the Regions electors represented by each councillor varies Local Government Sponsorship Division by more than 10 per cent from the average Eland House for the borough; Bressenden Place London SW1E 5DU ● by 2004 electoral equality is expected to deteriorate, with the number of electors per councillor forecast to vary by more than 10 per cent from the average in three wards, and by more than 20 per cent in one ward, Biggin Hill. Our main final recommendations for future electoral arrangements (Figures 1 and 2 and paragraphs 185-186) are that: ● Bromley Borough Council should be served by 60 councillors, as at present; ● there should be 22 wards, four fewer than at present, which would involve changes to the boundaries of all of the existing wards. These recommendations seek to ensure that the number of electors represented by each borough councillor is as nearly as possible the same, having regard to local circumstances. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND vii Figure 1: The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas (existing wards) councillors 1 Bickley 3 Bickley ward (part); Plaistow & Sundridge ward (part) 2 Biggin Hill 2 Biggin Hill ward (part) 3 Bromley Common 3 Bickley ward (part); Bromley Common & Keston ward (part); & Keston Farnborough ward (part) 4 Bromley Town 3 Bickley ward (part); Bromley Common & Keston ward (part); Hayes ward (part); Martin’s Hill & Town ward (part); Plaistow & Sundridge ward (part) 5 Chelsfield & 3 Chelsfield & Goddington ward (part); Crofton (part); Pratt’s Bottom Darwin ward (part) 6 Chislehurst 3 Chislehurst ward (part) 7 Clock House 3 Anerley ward (part); Clock House ward (part); Lawrie Park & Kent House ward (part); Penge ward (part) 8 Copers Cope 3 Copers Cope ward; Kelsey Park ward (part); Shortlands ward (part) 9 Cray Valley East 3 Orpington Central ward (part); St Mary Cray ward (part); St Paul’s Cray ward (part) 10 Cray Valley West 3 St Mary Cray ward (part); St Paul’s Cray ward (part) 11 Crystal Palace 2 Anerley ward (part); Lawrie Park & Kent House ward (part); Penge ward (part) 12 Darwin 1 Biggin Hill ward (part); Chelsfield & Goddington ward (part); Darwin ward (part); Farnborough ward (part) 13 Farnborough & 3 Crofton ward (part); Farnborough ward (part) Crofton 14 Hayes & Coney Hall 3 Bromley Common & Keston ward (part); Hayes ward (part); West Wickham South ward (part) 15 Kelsey & Eden Park 3 Clock House ward (part); Eden Park ward; Kelsey Park ward (part); Shortlands ward (part); West Wickham North (part) 16 Mottingham & 2 Chislehurst ward (part); Mottingham ward Chislehurst North 17 Orpington 3 Chelsfield & Goddington ward (part); Orpington Central ward (part); Petts Wood & Knoll ward (part) viii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Figure 1 (continued): The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas (existing wards) councillors 18 Penge & Cator 3 Lawrie Park & Kent House ward (part); Penge ward (part) 19 Petts Wood & Knoll 3 Petts Wood & Knoll ward (part) 20 Plaistow & Sundridge 3 Martin’s Hill & Town ward (part); Plaistow & Sundridge ward (part) 21 Shortlands 2 Hayes ward (part); Shortlands ward (part) 22 West Wickham 3 Shortlands ward (part); West Wickham North ward (part); West Wickham South ward (part) Note: Map 2 and the large map in the back of the report illustrate the proposed wards outlined above. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ix Figure 2: The Commission’s Final Recommendations for Bromley Ward name Number Electorate Number Variance Electorate Number Variance of (1999) of electors from (2004) of electors from councillors per councillor average per councillor average %% 1 Bickley 3 11,015 3,672 -2 10,963 3,654 -3 2 Biggin Hill 2 7,626 3,813 2 8,133 4,067 8 3 Bromley Common 3 11,037 3,679 -1 11,010 3,670 -3 & Keston 4 Bromley Town 3 11,131 3,710 -1 11,017 3,672 -3 5 Chelsfield & 3 10,975 3,658 -2 11,613 3,871 3 Pratt’s Bottom 6 Chislehurst 3 11,632 3,877 4 11,475 3,825 1 7 Clock House 3 11,165 3,722 0 11,390 3,797 1 8 Copers Cope 3 11,138 3,713 -1 10,961 3,654 -3 9 Cray Valley East 3 11,048 3,683 -1 11,225 3,742 -1 10 Cray Valley West 3 11,717 3,906 5 11,814 3,938 4 11 Crystal Palace 2 7,077 3,539 -5 7,143 3,572 -5 12 Darwin 1 3,632 3,632 -3 3,760 3,760 0 13 Farnborough & 3 11,570 3,857 3 11,714 3,905 4 Crofton 14 Hayes & 3 11,906 3,969 6 11,930 3,977 5 Coney Hall 15 Kelsey & Eden Park 3 10,713 3,571 -4 11,127 3,709 -2 16 Mottingham & 2 7,233 3,617 -3 7,156 3,578 -5 Chislehurst North 17 Orpington 3 11,598 3,866 4 11,850 3,950 5 18 Penge & Cator 3 11,164 3,721 0 11,224 3,741 -1 19 Petts Wood & Knoll 3 10,914 3,638 -3 11,043 3,681 -2 20 Plaistow & 3 11,122 3,707 -1 11,034 3,678 -2 Sundridge x LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Figure 2 (continued): The Commission’s Final Recommendations for Bromley Ward name Number Electorate Number Variance Electorate Number Variance of (1999) of electors from (2004) of electors from councillors per councillor average per councillor average %% 21 Shortlands 2 7,426 3,713 -1 7,425 3,713 -2 22 West Wickham 3 11,081 3,694 -1 11,283 3,761 0 Totals 60 223,920 --226,290 -- Averages --3,732 --3,772 - Source: Electorate figures are based on information provided by Bromley Borough Council.