Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for Waverley in Surrey
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR WAVERLEY IN SURREY Report to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions September 1998 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND This report sets out the Commission’s final recommendations on the electoral arrangements for Waverley in Surrey. Members of the Commission are: Professor Malcolm Grant (Chairman) Helena Shovelton (Deputy Chairman) Peter Brokenshire Professor Michael Clarke Pamela Gordon Robin Gray Robert Hughes Barbara Stephens (Chief Executive) ©Crown Copyright 1998 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 3 3 DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS 7 4 RESPONSES TO CONSULTATION 9 5 ANALYSIS AND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS 13 6 NEXT STEPS 31 APPENDIX A Final Recommendations for Waverley: Detailed Mapping 33 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND iii iv LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Local Government Commission for England 1 September 1998 Dear Secretary of State On 2 September 1997 the Commission commenced a periodic electoral review of the borough of Waverley under the Local Government Act 1992. We published our draft recommendations in February 1998 and undertook a nine-week period of consultation. We have now prepared our final recommendations in the light of the consultation. We have confirmed our draft recommendations, subject to two changes to ward names in the light of comments received (see paragraph 133). This report sets out our final recommendations for changes to electoral arrangements in Waverley. We recommend that Waverley Borough Council should be served by 57 councillors representing 29 wards, and that changes should be made to ward boundaries in order to improve electoral equality, having regard to the statutory criteria. We recommend that the Council should continue to hold whole-council elections. 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 Waverley on ● In all of the wards the number of electors 2 September 1997. We published our draft per councillor would vary by no more than recommendations for electoral arrangements on 10 per cent from the borough average. 17 February 1998, after which we undertook a ● Improved electoral equality is forecast to nine-week period of consultation. continue, with the number of electors per councillor in 28 of the 29 wards expected to ● This report summarises the representations vary by no more than 10 per cent from the we received during consultation on our draft average for the borough by 2002. Shamley recommendations, and offers our final Green & Cranleigh North ward would vary recommendations to the Secretary of State. by 12 per cent from the average. We found that the existing electoral arrangements Recommendations are also made for changes to provide unequal representation of electors in parish and town council electoral arrangements Waverley: which provide for: ● in 18 of the 28 wards the number of electors ● new warding arrangements for the parishes represented by each councillor varies by of Cranleigh, Ewhurst, Farnham, Godalming, more than 10 per cent from the average for Haslemere and Witley. the borough, and seven wards vary by more than 20 per cent from the average; ● by 2002 electoral equality is not expected to All further correspondence on these improve, with the number of electors per recommendations and the matters discussed councillor forecast to vary by more than 10 in this report should be addressed to the per cent from the average in 19 wards, and Secretary of State for the Environment, by more than 20 per cent in five wards. Transport and the Regions, who will not make an order implementing the Our main final recommendations for future Commission’s recommendations before electoral arrangements (Figure 1 and paragraph 12 October 1998: 133) are that: The Secretary of State ● Waverley Borough Council should be served Department of the Environment, by 57 councillors, the same as at present; Transport and the Regions Local Government Review ● there should be 29 wards, one more than at Eland House present; Bressenden Place ● the boundaries of 25 of the existing wards London SW1E 5DU should be modified, while three wards should retain their existing boundaries; ● elections for the whole Council should continue to take place every four years. 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 Map reference councillors 1 Alfold, 1 Alfold & Dunsfold ward (part – Alfold Maps 2 & A2 Cranleigh Rural parish); Cranleigh West ward (part – part & Ellens Green of Cranleigh West ward of Cranleigh parish); Ewhurst ward (part – part of Ewhurst parish) 2 Blackheath 1 Unchanged (Wonersh and Blackheath Map 2 & Wonersh parish wards of Wonersh parish) 3 Bramley, 2 Bramley ward (Bramley parish); Busbridge, Map 2 Busbridge Hambledon & Hascombe ward (part – the & Hascombe parishes of Busbridge & Hascombe) 4 Chiddingfold 2 Alfold & Dunsfold ward (part – Dunsfold Map 2 & Dunsfold parish); Chiddingfold ward (Chiddingfold parish) 5 Cranleigh East 3 Cranleigh East ward (part – part of Maps 2 & A2 Cranleigh East parish ward of Cranleigh parish) 6 Cranleigh West 2 Cranleigh West ward (part – part of Maps 2 & A2 Cranleigh West parish ward of Cranleigh parish) 7 Elstead & Thursley 2 Elstead, Peper Harow & Thursley ward Maps 2 & A4 (the parishes of Elstead, Peper Harow and Thursley); Witley ward (part – part of Witley parish ward of Witley parish) 8 Ewhurst 1 Ewhurst ward (part – part of Maps 2 & A3 Ewhurst parish) 9 Farnham Bourne 2 Farnham Bourne ward (part); Farnham Large map Waverley ward (part) 10 Farnham Castle 2 Farnham Castle ward (part); Farnham Large map Upper Hale ward (part); Farnham Waverley ward (part) 11 Farnham College 2 Farnham Bourne ward (part); Farnham Large map Castle ward (part); Farnham Waverley ward (part) 12 Farnham Hale 2 Farnham Hale & Heath End ward (part); Large map & Heath End Farnham Weybourne & Badshot Lea ward (part); Farnham Upper Hale ward (part) 13 Farnham Monks 2 Farnham Waverley ward (part); Farnham Large map Upper Hale ward (part) viii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Figure 1 (continued): The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 14 Farnham 2 Farnham Upper Hale ward (part); Large map Upper Hale Farnham Castle ward (part) 15 Farnham 2 Farnham Hale & Heath End ward Large map Weybourne (part); Farnham Waverley ward (part); & Badshot Lea Farnham Weybourne & Badshot Lea ward (part) 16 Farnham 2 Farnham Bourne ward (part); Farnham Large map Wrecclesham East Castle ward (part); Farnham & Boundstone Wrecclesham & Rowledge ward (part) 17 Farnham 2 Farnham Castle ward (part); Farnham Large map Wrecclesham West Rowledge & Wrecclesham ward (part) & Rowledge 18 Frensham, 2 Unchanged (the parishes of Frensham, Map 2 Dockenfield Dockenfield and Tilford) & Tilford 19 Godalming 2 Godalming North ward (part); Large map Binscombe Godalming North West ward (part) 20 Godalming 2 Godalming North East & South West Large map Central & Ockford ward (part); Godalming North West ward (part); Godalming South East ward (part) 21 Godalming 2 Godalming North ward (part); Large map Charterhouse Godalming North West ward (part) 22 Godalming 2 Godalming North ward (part); Large map Farncombe Godalming North East & South & Catteshall West ward (part); Godalming South East ward (part) 23 Godalming Holloway 2 Godalming South East ward (part) Large map 24 Haslemere 3 Haslemere North & Grayswood ward Large map Critchmere (part); Haslemere South ward (part); & Shottermill Shottermill ward (part) 25 Haslemere East 2 Haslemere North & Grayswood ward Large map & Grayswood (part); Haslemere South ward (part) continued overleaf LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ix Figure 1 (continued): The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 26 Hindhead 3 Hindhead ward (part); Shottermill Large map ward (part) 27