From Conservative Group

The conservative proposals show that the South of Middlesbrough i.e. Marton, Marton West, and are within the plus or minus10% for the 2018 elector projections. As there will be no demolition and the Local Development Frameworks has identified numerous sites for development the figures can only go up over a long period of time. The conservative proposal is that Nunthorpe take in Yew Tree Grove, Cloverwood Close, Cedar Road and Pinewood Road which would keep the figures within the percentage. Marton West could take in De Brus Park which joins on to the end of the Golf Course and this would make these residents included where at the present time they feel excluded to all wards.

We are proposing that give a section of their electorate to , which will correct these figures.

Brookfield could pass on some of its electorate to Kader, which would keep these wards within the correct figures.

Ayresome Ward should be left as it is as this ward has the correct number of electors.

The Middlehaven, Gresham and University Wards should be combined into two wards with 5 councillors. At present this is 3 wards with 7 councillors. This would lose the two councillors to make the 46, which has been accepted by the boundary commission.

The wards to the East of the town with the exception of Park End should be tweaked between themselves to give the correct numbers.

The labour proposal to pass the north end of Park End to will result in a ward being split by two Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries as will be the case if Coulby Newham moves into Kader, this will totally confuse the electorate.

In the last review (2002) proposed a two-member ward suggesting a working ward name of Marton West comprising those parts of the existing Newham Ward south of the A174 and east of Marton West Beck. It proposed a three-member ward suggesting a working ward name of Coulby Newham comprising part of the existing Newham Ward South of the A174 and west of Marton West Beck. The Borough Council stated that the proposed Marton West Ward and Coulby Newham Ward would each comprise a relatively homogeneous community. The boundary commission decided that the Borough Council’s proposed wards of Marton West and Coulby Newham would provide a good balance between the statutory criteria, and considered that they were based on strong boundaries that reflected community identities. Since 2002 the identity of these two communities has strengthened.

Unfortunately we have not had the time or resources that were given to the labour group and therefore our proposal still needs tweaking. The labour proposal is demolishing communities rather than strengthening them. The boundaries that are suggested by them are not definite boundaries, they have crossed over beck, taken chunks out of wards where they needed to fill a gap and are overall are predominantly squiggly lines that will confuse everyone.

Cllr. Chris Hobson Leader of Middlesbrough Conservative Group