Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for the Isle of Wight
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE ISLE OF WIGHT Report to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions June 1997 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND This report sets out the Commission’s final recommendations on the electoral arrangements for the Isle of Wight. Members of the Commission are: Professor Malcolm Grant (Chairman) Helena Shovelton (Deputy Chairman) Peter Brokenshire Professor Michael Clarke Robin Gray Bob Scruton David Thomas Adrian Stungo (Chief Executive) ©Crown Copyright 1997 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. 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 9 4 RESPONSES TO CONSULTATION 11 5 ANALYSIS AND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS 15 6 NEXT STEPS 31 APPENDICES A Final Recommendations for the Isle of Wight: Detailed Mapping 33 B Draft Recommendations for the Isle of Wight (October 1996) 43 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND iii iv LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Local Government Commission for England 24 June 1997 Dear Secretary of State On 19 March 1996 the Commission commenced a periodic electoral review of the Isle of Wight under the Local Government Act 1992. It published its draft recommendations in October 1996 and undertook a nine- week period of consultation. The Commission has now formulated its final recommendations in the light of the consultation. It has modified its initial warding proposals in the light of further evidence. This report sets out the Commission’s final recommendations for changes to electoral arrangements in the area. The Commission is recommending to you that the Isle of Wight should continue to be served by 48 councillors but that some changes should be made to the boundaries of electoral divisions in order to improve electoral equality, having regard to the Commission’s statutory criteria. I would like to thank members and officers of the Isle of Wight 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 the Isle of These recommendations seek to ensure that the Wight on 19 March 1996. It published its draft number of electors represented by each councillor recommendations on electoral arrangements on 31 is as nearly as possible the same, having regard to October 1996, after which it undertook a nine- local circumstances. week period of consultation. ● In 30 of the 48 divisions the number of ● This report summarises the submissions electors would vary by no more than 10 per received by the Commission during cent from the Island average. consultation on its draft recommendations, and offers its final recommendations to the ● This level of electoral equality is expected to Secretary of State. continue to 2001. The Commission found that the existing electoral Recommendations are also made for changes to arrangements provide unequal representation of town and parish council electoral arrangements. electors in the Isle of Wight because: ● The parishes of Bembridge, Lake and ● in 30 of the 48 single-member electoral Sandown should be warded to reflect divisions, the number of electors represented proposed electoral divisions of the Isle of by each councillor varies by more than 10 Wight Council, as required under the 1972 per cent from the average for the Island; Local Government Act. ● in 16 of the divisions, the number of electors ● The parishes of Cowes, Shanklin and varies by more than 20 per cent from the Ventnor should be re-warded. average for the Island; and in one of these, St Helens, it varies by more than 50 per ● The Thorley parish ward of Yarmouth Parish cent; Council should be served by an additional (second) councillor. ● electoral equality is not expected to improve by 2001, in the light of the relatively low ● The two parish wards of Shorwell parish projected growth in electorate. should be abolished. The Commission’s final recommendations for the Island’s electoral arrangements (Figure 1) are that: All further correspondence on these recommendations and the matters ● the Isle of Wight Council should comprise discussed in this report should be 48 councillors, each representing a single- addressed to the Secretary of State for the member division, as at present; Environment, Transport and the Regions, who will not make an Order implementing ● the boundaries of 36 of the existing divisions the Commission’s recommendations should be modified, while 12 divisions before 6 August 1997. should retain their existing boundaries; ● the whole Council should be elected every four years, subject to the provisions of the 1994 Order which provide for the next two elections to take place in May 1998 and May 2001. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND vii Figure 1: The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Division name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 1 Ashey 1 Ashey division; Ryde South West Map 2 and A7 division (part) 2 Bembridge North 1 Bembridge 1 division (part) Map 2 and A6 3 Bembridge South 1 Bembridge 1 division (part); Map 2 and A6 Bembridge 2 division 4 Binstead 1 Unchanged (the division of Binstead) Map 2 5 Brading and St Helens 1 Brading division (the parish of Brading); Map 2 St Helens division (the parish of St Helens) 6 Brighstone and 1 Brighstone and Shorwell division Map 2 Calbourne (part - the parish of Brighstone); Calbourne, Shalfleet and Yarmouth division (part - the parish of Calbourne) 7 Carisbrooke East 1 Carisbrooke East division (part); Large map Mount Joy division (part); Carisbrooke West division (part) 8 Carisbrooke West 1 Carisbrooke West division (part) Large map 9 Central Rural 1 Brighstone and Shorwell division Map 2 (part - the parish of Shorwell); Gatcombe, Godshill and Rookley division (part - the parishes of Gatcombe and Rookley); Arreton and Newchurch division (part - the parish of Arreton) 10 Chale, Niton 1 Unchanged (the parishes of Chale, and Map 2 and Whitwell Niton and Whitwell) 11 Cowes Castle East 1 Cowes Castle 1 division; Cowes Central Map 2 and A8 division (part); Cowes Castle 2 division (part) 12 Cowes Castle West 1 Cowes Castle 2 division (part); Cowes Map 2 and A8 Central division (part); Cowes Medina division (part) 13 Cowes Central 1 Cowes Central division (part); Map 2 and A8 Cowes Medina division (part) 14 Cowes Medina 1 Cowes Medina division (part) Map 2 and A8 15 East Cowes North 1 East Cowes 1 division (part) Map 2 and A9 viii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Figure 1 (continued): The Commission’s Draft Recommendations: Summary Division name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 16 East Cowes South 1 East Cowes 1 division (part); East Cowes Map 2 and A9 2 division; Osborne division (part) 17 Fairlee 1 Unchanged (the division of Fairlee) Map 2 18 Freshwater Afton 1 Unchanged (the Freshwater Afton parish Map 2 ward of Freshwater parish) 19 Freshwater Norton 1 Unchanged (the Freshwater Norton Map 2 parish ward of Freshwater parish) 20 Gurnard 1 Unchanged (the parish of Gurnard) Map 2 21 Lake North 1 Lake 1 division (part) Map 2 and A4 22 Lake South 1 Lake 2 division; Lake 1 division (part) Map 2 and A4 23 Mount Joy 1 Mount Joy division (part); Newport Large map Central division (part) 24 Newchurch 1 Arreton and Newchurch division (part - Map 2 the parish of Newchurch) 25 Newport North 1 Parkhurst division (part); Newport Large map Central division (part); Carisbrooke East division (part) 26 Newport South 1 Mount Joy division (part); Newport Large map Central division (part) 27 Northwood 1 Unchanged (the division of Northwood) Map 2 28 Osborne 1 Osborne division (part) Map 2 and A9 29 Pan 1 Unchanged (the division of Pan) Map 2 30 Parkhurst 1 Parkhurst division (part) Large map 31 Ryde North East 1 Ryde North East division (part) Map 2 and A7 32 Ryde North West 1 Unchanged (the electoral division of Map 2 and A7 Ryde North West) 33 Ryde South East 1 Ryde South East division; Ryde North Map 2 and A7 East division (part) 34 Ryde South West 1 Ryde South West division (part) Map 2 and A7 35 St Johns East 1 St Johns 2 division (part) Map 2 and A7 Continued overleaf LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ix Figure 1 (continued): The Commission’s Draft Recommendations: Summary Division name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 36 St Johns West 1 St Johns 1 division; St Johns 2 Map 2 and A7 division (part) 37 Sandown North 1 Sandown 1 division (part) Map 2 and A5 38 Sandown South 1 Sandown 1 division (part); Sandown 2 Map 2 and A5 division 39 Seaview and 1 Unchanged (the parish of Nettlestone Map 2 Nettlestone and Seaview) 40 Shalfleet and 1 Calbourne, Shalfleet and Yarmouth division Map 2 Yarmouth (part - the parishes of Shalfleet and Yarmouth) 41 Shanklin Central 1 Shanklin North division (part); Shanklin Map 2 and A3 Central division (part); Shanklin South division (part) 42 Shanklin North 1 Shanklin North division (part); Shanklin Map 2 and A3 Central division (part) 43 Shanklin South 1 Shanklin South division (part) Map 2 and A3 44 Totland 1 Unchanged (the parish of Totland) Map 2 45 Ventnor East 1 Ventnor 1 division; Ventnor 2 division (part) Map 2 and A2 46 Ventnor West 1 Ventnor 2 division (part) Map 2 and A2 47 Wootton 1 Unchanged (the parish of Wootton Bridge) Map 2 48 Wroxall and Godshill 1 Wroxall division (the parish of Wroxall); Map 2 Gatcombe, Godshill and Rookley division (part - the parish of Godshill) x LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND 1.