East Lindsey in the County of Lincolnshire
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Local Government Boundary Commission For England Report No.352 LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOUNDARY COMr.ISSKW FOR Sil CHAIRMAN Sir Nicholas Morrison KCB DEPUTY CHAIRMAN Mr J H Runkin QC MEMBERS Lady Bowden Mr J T Brockbank Mr R R Thornton CB DL Mr D P Harrison Professor G E Cherry To the Rt Hon William Whitelaw, CH, MC, MP Secretary of State for the Home Department PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE DISTRICT OF EAST LINDSEY IN THE COUNTY OF LINCOLNSHIRE 1. We, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, having carried out our initial review of the electoral arrangements for the district of East Lindsey 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 district. 2. In aooordnnoe with the procedure laid down in section 60(1) and (2) of the 1972 Aot, notion wan tftvrin on 21 April 197? tliat we worn to unddrtwka Uila r«v.t«w. This trmnrpomted Jit u ucmmil tutton )at;ti?i* HdilrnnBod t.o ifrnl. Undfl».y ninkrlul C»un"M , no pie* of which were oirotilnteil to Lincolnshire County Council, parish oounoiln and parish meetings 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. East Lindsey District 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 mid the guidelinen 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 therefore 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.. The Council have not exercised an option under section 7(4) of the Local Government Act 1972. The provisions of section 1(6) will therefore apply and the election of all councillors will be held simultaneously. 5. East Lindsey District Council presented their draft scheme of representation on 14 November 1975- The scheme provided for 50 wards each returning 1, 2 or 3 members to form a council of 60. 6. We considered the District Council's draft scheme together with related comments. We noted that the standard of representation was uneven and it appeared to us that a better standard could be achieved by a regrouping of parishes. This reduced the number of wards from 50 to 46 but maintained a council of 60-members, Subject to -these modifications we decided to base our draft proposals on the draft scheme submitted by East Lindsey District Council. 7. On 20 October 1977 we issued our draft proposals and these were sent to all who had received our consultation letter or had commented on the Council's draft scheme. East Lindsey District 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 15 December 1977• 8. East Lindsey District Council, four parish councils, three parish meetings, several district councillors, a town council and a private individual on behalf of the residents of a parish.objected to various aspects of the draft proposals. 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 F L M Hurd V.R.D. was appointed an Assistant Commissioner. He was asked to hold a local1 meeting and to report to us. Copies of the comments were sent to East Lindsey District Council to be available for public inspection. 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 Town Hall, Horncastle on 9 November 1978 having previously inspected certain areas of the district. A copy of his report is attached at Schedule 1 to this report. 11. In the light of the discussion at the-meeting and his visits to various parts of the district the Assistant Commissioner recommended that our draft proposals should be confirmed subject to the following modifications:- (i) the parish of Skidbrooke with Saltfleet Haven be transferred from the proposed Skidbrooke with Saltfleet Haven ward to the proposed North Somercotes ward which would nevertheless return one councillor only. (ii) the name Theddlethorpe St Helen be adopted for the ward from which the parish of Skidbrooke with Saltfleet Haven is to be taken and that ward to return one councillor. (iii) the parish of Edlington be transferred from the proposed Horncastle ward to the proposed Rough ton - ward. Horncastle ward will return three councillors and Roughton ward one councillor as in the draft proposals. (iv) the parishes of Bilsby, Farlesthorpe, and Markby be transferred from the proposed Huttoft ward to the proposed Alford ward. (v) the parish of Hogsthorpe be transferred from the proposed Willoughby with Sloothby ward to the proposed Huttoft ward. (vi) the parishes of Ulceby with Fordington: Skendleby; Well, and Claxby .be transferred from the proposed Alford ward to the proposed Willoughby with Sloothby ward. (vii) the following wards in the town of Louth be substituted for those set out in our draft proposals viz; St James; St Margaret's; Korth Holme; Priory: St Mary's; St Michael's, and Trinity; each ward to return one councillor. (vili) the proposed Huttoft ward be renamed "Hogsthorpe" ward. 12. We reviewed our draft proposals in the light of the comments which we had received and of the Assistant Commissioner's report. We noted that the Assistant Commissioner1s recommendations had the effect of increasing the wards in the town of Louth from 5 to 7 and, consequently, the total district ward* from 46 t~> -IT, but did not alter the total number of councillors. We further noted that the Assistant Commissioner'3 recommendations reflected more closely loc?l community tii-T., which had been stressed in the comments we received, without any detriment to the balance of representation. We concluded that the alterations recommended by the Assistant Commissioner should be adopted, and that subject to the modifications in paragraph 11 above and to the rewarding of certain parishes, we decided that our draft propoRals should be confirmed as our final proposals. The necessary warding orders have now been tmtde by the District Council. 13. Details of these final proposals are set out in Schedules 2 and 3 to this report and on the attached map. Schedule 2 given 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 Get out in Schedule 3« PUBLICATION 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 East Lindsey District Council and will be available for public 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. S igned: NICHOLAS MORRISON (CHAIRMAN) JOHN M RANKIN (DEPUTY CHAIRMAN) PHYLLIS BOWDES TYRRELL BROOCBANK G E CHERRY D P HARRISON R R THORNTON LESLIE GRIMSHAW (Secretary) 20 September 1979 4f SCHEDULE 1 REVIEW OF ELECTORAL ARBANG3MENTS FOR THE DISTRICT OF EAST LINDSEY REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER (PETER' L. M. KURD, V.R.D.) TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND, 1. INTRODUCTION. 1 I was. appointed by the Secretary of State in accordance with Section 65(2) of the Local Government Act, 1972, as an Assistant Commissioner to hold a local inquiry or carry out any consultation or investigation with respect to the review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England of the electoral arrangements for the District of East Lindsoy in Lincolnshire under the provisions of Part IV of the Local Government Act 1972. 2 At the request of the Commission I held a meeting at the Town Hp.ll, Horncastle, on Thursday, 9th November 1973, starting at 101^0 a.m. The names and addresses of those who attended the meeting arid the n^mes of the bodice or persons whom they represented are set out in Appendix 1 to this report. The meeting was held under the consultative powers available under section 6*0 of the Act, and it was in no sense a formal local inquiry. 2. THE DISTRICT COUNCIL'S DRAFT-PROPOSALS 5 On .the 51st April 19751 the Commission invited the 3ast Lindsey District Council to prepare a draft schema of representation for the district, taking into account any views expressed to them by local interests, and to submit^ their draft scheme to tho Commission.