Chidham & Hambrook Parish Council Rymans Cottage, lane South, Apuldram West , PO20 7EG Tel:

Email: Website : www.chidhamandhambrook.info

Review Officer () Local Government Boundary Commission for 14th Floor Millbank Tower Millbank SW1P 4QP 10th October 2016

Dear Sirs

Re: Electoral Review of Council: Draft Recommendations As a response to the draft recommendations Chidham & Hambrook Parish Council would suggest that the review fails to meet the principles set by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England on the following grounds:

Insufficient recognition of community identity:

o Transport links within this new ward are non-existent as neither trains nor buses connect the several communities of the ward and so require an undue journey time being made through Chichester.

o There is no single parish council, residents’ association or other group representing the area and such is unlikely to come about due to the mismatched nature of the redrawn boundary.

o The existing facilities as used by parishioners predominantly lie outside the area of the planned new ward being mainly in Southbourne (i.e. library, doctors’ surgery, two supermarkets, primary rail station and schools attended by the children of some parishioners). This means that parishioners will be drawn in two totally different directions of interest and so lead to the destruction of a strong existing community cohesion.

o The local community magazine (the Village Magazine) distributed to all residents of Fishbourne, Chidham and Hambrook and , while therefore covering the area of the Bourne, does not include Stockbridge and Donnington because of the distinctly differing geographical, historiographical, political and social concerns of the two areas that the new ward attempts to bring together.

o Part of the ward will be split by an extremely busy and hazardous main road with plans being discussed that would make the crossing of this road even more difficult.

o Donnington is a semi-rural area (part of the Manhood Peninsula) while Stockbridge is on the verge of becoming a conurbation, with both centred

much more on Chichester and to the area to their south while Chidham and Hambrook is very much a rural area with a rural outlook that is more centred on the area of the Bourne.

o The existing DC ward is already split between two county councillors; this new arrangement would bring in a third county councillor with all but one of them having the majority of their electors outside the new ward.

In reality, Chidham and Hambrook parish is part of the Bourne area and sees itself as such while Donnington is part of the Manhood Peninsula and sees itself as such.

The suggested ward is cumbersome, and only convenient for the needs of creating a three-member ward of equitable size to that of other three member wards and so meeting the first of the principles as itemised above. It does not reflect the nature of the individual communities and will distance parishioners in Chidham and Hambrook from their elected councillors.

Attention could usefully be given to the creation of three single member wards that would help create a series of more integrated wards. Ultimately, residents of Donnington and residents of Chidham and Hambrook have little community commonality other than, and is the case throughout Chichester DC, of being centred on Chichester.

Yours faithfully

Caroline Davison

Clerk to the Council