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OAKENGATES TOWN COUNCIL RESPONSE TO CONSULTATION ON REVIEW OF BOROUGH WARD BOUNDARIES BACKGROUND In October 2012, the Local Government Boundary Commission (“the Commission”) made a presentation outlining proposed changes to the boundaries of wards in The Wrekin Borough for the election of Councillors to sit on Telford & The Wrekin Council. It proposed no change to the number of councillors but significant changes to the boundaries and, in some cases, the names of wards. In June 2013, it made a report of Draft Recommendation, which is the subject of this report. The Commission stated (in Para 4), amongst its aims, that it should ensure that each councillor represents approximately the same number of electors, anticipated to average 2,375 electors per Borough councillor by 2018. It aims include (in Para 31) that no Borough Ward should have a variance of more than 10% away from this average. It advised further (in Para 11) that it had Statutory Criteria under the Local Democracy, Economic Development & Construction Act 2009 (“the 2009 Act”) to ensure Effective and convenient local government”, with “Parishes as building blocks” and “with “Coherent wards with good internal transport links”. It stressed the need to “reflect the identities and interests of local communities, in particular …. the desirability of fixing boundaries so as not to break any local ties.” This report will examine, amongst other things, whether these Statutory Criteria have been met with regards to Oakengates. As all electors have to be represented by someone on the Borough Council, this report also examines if the electors of Oakengates Town are represented by councillors who cover coherent areas with their own identities. HISTORICAL IDENTITIES Oakengates Town was formed as part of the area of the former Oakengates Urban District, which operated until 1974. This District covered the areas which now form • Oakengates Town • Saint George’s & Priorslee Parish • Wrockwardine Wood & Trench Parish. There is much dis-satisfaction in the area as to how the boundaries between these areas are drawn. For example, the boundary between Oakengates and Saint George’s is drawn only some 25 yards from Oakengates Town Centre; Oakengates covers as far North as Trench Pool and the rear of the houses on Trench Road, while properties on the East side of Stafford Road (some ¼ mile from Oakengates Centre) are administered from Trench. However, it is made clear that the boundaries between these parishes are not a matter for this review. The Commission describes Telford (in Para 60) as “bisected by the M54”. However, it has then drawn arbitrary areas within Telford, putting Wrockwardine Wood & Trench, Hadley & Leegomery, Donnington & Muxton into a long linear area it calls “North Telford”, while it lumps Oakengates, Saint Georges & Priorslee and Ketley in with Lawley and Overdale, both South of the M54, into an area it calls “Central Telford”. There is no justification made for this arbitrary grouping. Most local reports and studies group the three parishes of the former Oakengates Urban District together with the Donnington and Muxton areas into “North-East Telford” and it would be better if this grouping were used, rather than lumping these areas of North and East Telford in with the huge development of Lawley on the Western Edge of the town. Wrockwardine Wood is an ancient area that has been split in four by Local Government re- organisations. Historically, a Northern part of Oakengates, much of it was subsumed into Wrockwardine Wood and Trench, while other parts disappeared into Saint George’s and even Priorslee Ward! Some improvements have been made to these splits but much remains to be done. Wombridge is another ancient area dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Wombridge Road was split into three by the creation of the A442 and B4373 in the 1980’s. The Southern-most part between Hadley Road and the A442 and the middle part from the A442 to Wrockwardine Wood Way (B4373) are entirely within Oakengates Town and the proposed Oakengates & Ketley Bank Borough Ward. It is the Northern section that has always caused problems. Here the road runs broadly level for about half a mile, with dense housing around it. It then crosses the former canal before descending steeply over the geological feature known as the Trench Fault into the lower community of Trench. On the West side of Wombridge Road, much of this area of Trench is, strangely, within the Oakengates Town Boundary. To the Eastern side several culs-de-sac immediately North of the old canal are also in Oakengates Town, although they can be accessed only by travelling through the Wrockwardine Wood & Trench Ward, an issue this report will address elsewhere. In the early years of this century, Borough Ward boundaries were changed. Previously, there had been a one-member Ketley Bank Ward, a two-member Wombridge Ward and parts of North Oakengates came under Wrockwardine Wood ward. It was then proposed to include Ketley Bank in with Ketley, which rightly met with much opposition and was dropped. Instead, the whole of Oakengates (apart from the Northern area), Ketley Bank and Ketley were made into a huge three- member ward, which exists today. DETAILS OF L.G.B.C. PROPOSED ARRANGEMENTS 1. It is proposed to separate Ketley from Oakengates and Ketley Bank, creating a three- member Oakengates & Ketley Bank Ward. North of the B4373, all of Oakengates Town will become part of the Wrockwardine Wood & Trench Ward; 2. The Beverley Ward of Ketley Parish (Area H on the map) would transfer from the Hadley & Leegomery Ward to the Oakengates & Ketley Bank Ward; 3. The whole of Trench Lock as far North as the railway line to Donnington, including the newly built Marlborough Way and adjoining areas close to Hadley Centre (Area G) would transfer to the Oakengates & Ketley Bank Ward although would remain in Hadley Parish; 4. The whole of that part of Oakengates Town to the North of Wrockwardine Wood Way (B4373) (Area X) would form the North Ward of the Town but fall into the Wrockwardine Wood & Trench Borough Ward; 5. The Western area of Wrockwardine Wood, (Area AV) covering Middle, Urban, Lincoln & New Roads would transfer to the Oakengates & Ketley Bank Ward, although would remain in Wrockwardine Wood & Trench Parish; 6. The Eastern Area of Wrockwardine Wood would remain in Wrockwardine Wood & Trench Parish. The area to the West of Saint George’s Road / Plough Road (Area AU) would fall into the Saint George’s Borough Ward, while the Eastern part (Area AS) would be thrust into the distant Priorslee Borough Ward; 7. The triangle of land (Area W) between the A442, B4373 and New Road would form a new 1-member Hollyhurst Ward of Oakengates Town Council. Why this would be a separate ward is not explained; 8. The Cockshutt & Willows Roads area of Oakengates (Part of Area AB) would remain in Saint George’s Parish & Borough Wards. 9. There is an arithmetical error in the report showing 7,272 electors in Hadley & Leegomery, averaging 2,511 for each of 3 councillors. This actually works out at 2,424 electors per councillor, a variance from average of 2.1%, not the 6% shown in the report. ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS BY OAKENGATES TOWN COUNCIL 1. Trench Lock (Area G) would be better served by Hadley or by Trench than as part of Oakengates & Ketley Bank Ward. We propose that this area of Trench Lock to the East of Sommerfeld Road should be included with Trench, while that part to the West of Sommerfeld Road should remain in Hadley; 2. The Commission proposes to split Wrockwardine Wood between four wards. We agree with the Commission’s proposal to transfer Area AV to Oakengates & Ketley Bank Ward. It is an area naturally linked to Oakengates and to the part of Wrockwardine Wood in Area W. However, there is no need at all to create a separate Hollyhurst Ward of Oakengates Town Council. We propose that Oakengates Town Council should have a 10-member Oakengates Ward and a 3-member North Ward; 3. We propose that Area X should be split in two, with the area of Oakengates North ward to the North of the old canal remaining with Trench and the area to the South of the old canal being included in Oakengates & Ketley Bank Borough Ward. This would transfer all the culs-de-sac off Richmond & Pickering Roads to Trench, along with much of Teagues Crescent and surrounding roads. The South side of Teagues Crescent between Wombridge Road and Juniper Drive would remain in the Oakengates & Ketley Bank Ward, along with the area known as Wombridge Common, consisting of Newfield & Juniper Drives and Maple Close; 4. The Commission proposes to include Area AU in Saint George’s Ward and Area AS in Priorslee Ward. However, Area AS has two unrelated areas; the Plough Road and Saint George’s Road areas in the West are very naturally linked to Wrockwardine Wood (in Area AU), whereas, the roads off Redhill Way in the East are not linked to Wrockwardine Wood and should remain with Priorslee. We propose that the West part of Area AS is included within Area AU, as this would mean Wrockwardine Wood would only be split between three Wards, rather than four. However, to reduce confusion, we propose that the ward covering Areas AT and X be named “Trench Ward”, as the largest part of Wrockwardine Wood will now be in Oakengates & Ketley Bank Ward; 5. To balance the split of Area AS above, we suggest that the Snedshill and Priorslee Church area (Area AC) could remain with the rest of Priorslee Ward, instead of being transferred to Saint George’s Ward; 6.

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