Community No

FINAL PROPOSALS

Introduction

1. The county town of Llandrindod Wells is the fifth largest of Powys's towns and the largest in Radnorshire. An historic Victorian spa town, it developed linearly along the A483 and is the main administrative centre of the county of Powys. In the Powys Unitary Development Plan, Llandrindod Wells is classified as an area centre, and the town offers typical facilities in the form of offices, shops and businesses, primary and secondary schools, hospital, sports facilities, golf course and boating lake. It enjoys good road links through mid-Wales northwards and southwards and has rail communications through the Heart of Wales line.

2. The community has a population of 5,024, an electorate of 4,223 (2005) and a council of 15 members. The community is warded: Llandrindod Wells East with 501 electors and two councillors; Llandrindod Wells North with 1451 electors and five councillors; Llandrindod Wells South No.1 with 573 electors and two councillors; Llandrindod Wells South No.2 with 1174 electors and four councillors, and Llandrindod Wells West with 524 electors and two councillors. The precept required for 2005 is £59,334.00 representing a Council Tax Band D equivalent of £28.66.

3. In the 1982 Review, the then Llandrindod Wells Town Council was of the opinion that the community should remain a separate unit with no reference to any boundary changes. However, the then Powys County Council recommended that the existing boundary of the community should be extended eastwards, to include the whole of the golf course; southwards, to include the whole of the Pentrosfa estate, and northwards on either side of the A483 as far as Cellws. The Final Proposals of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales broadly followed these suggestions. The northern half of the then community of Llandrindod Rural, a western corner of the then community of Cefnllys Rural and a southern part of the then community of Llanbadarnfawr were transferred to the new community of Llandrindod Wells, while a northern salient of the then community of Llandrindod Wells was transferred to the new community of Llanbadarn Fawr. These adjustments gave the town a small but adequate rural hinterland for its future development. The Commission also accepted the suggestion of the then Llandrindod Town Council that the community should have a council of 15 members with five wards, namely East with three councillors, North with five, South No.1 with two, South No.2 with three and West with two.

4. In 2003 a letter from Llandrindod Wells Town Council highlighted the imbalance of councillor representation between the South No.2 ward and the East ward of the community that had emerged as a result of continuing development. It was recommended that one councillor be transferred to South No.2 ward from the East ward. This recommendation was agreed in the Powys (Community of Llandrindod Wells) Order 2003, in which the warding arrangement outlined in paragraph 2 above was adopted in time for the local elections in May 2004.

Final Proposals – Radnorshire – Community R$hh1cxqol.doc Summary of representations received prior to preparation of Draft Proposals

5. No representations have been received for this community.

Assessment

6. The electorate of Llandrindod Wells has increased from 3,087 in 1978 to 4,223 in 2005. The Powys Unitary Development Plan allocates a further 6 sites for an estimated 302 dwellings in the area centre of Llandrindod Wells during the plan period. There are further opportunities for infill development and opportunities for affordable housing development adjacent to the settlement development boundaries in accordance with Policy HP8 of the Plan. We note that this community’s electorate will probably increase to about 4,740, suggesting a continued entitlement in accordance with Table 5 – Councillor Allocation and Powys’s Town to 15 councillors.

7. Schedule 11(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 requires us, in fixing the number of community councillors to be elected for each ward, to have regard to any change in the number or distribution of the local government electors of the community which is likely to take place. Councillor numbers were adjusted as recently as 2004 to take into account development that has been largely concentrated within the South No.2 ward. Further growth will be in the North ward, with approximately 70 per cent of the future development likely to take place here, and, to a lesser extent, in the South No.2 ward, with about 21 per cent of future development likely to take place here. In the following table, we estimate the impact that development proposals within the Unitary Development Plan will have on both the electorate and councillor balance between the wards of this town.

East North South South West No.1 No.2 Projected Electorate 501 1812 610 1281 531

Percentage of total 10.58 38.27 12.88 27.05 11.21 Electorate Councillor entitlement 1.59 5.74 1.93 4.06 1.68 (15) Present Councillor 2 5 2 4 2 allocation (15)

The table illustrates that the current allocation of councillors across the wards will be appropriate to meet the effects of further development on the electorate of the community and will continue to secure a parity of representation across the wards. We note that, as development proceeds, a discrepancy between the councillor allocation for the North ward and the East ward will increase, but, of course, that development has yet to take place.

Final Proposals – Radnorshire – Community R$hh1cxqol.doc Draft Proposals

8. That no changes should be made to this community.

(Ward) Electorate No of Councillors Electors per Councillor Llandrindod 501 2 250 Wells East Llandrindod 1812 5 362 Wells North Llandrindod 610 2 305 Wells South No.1 Llandrindod 1281 4 320 Wells South No.2 Llandrindod 531 2 265 Wells West

Responses to the Council’s Draft Proposals

9. No comments or submissions were received on the Draft Proposals.

Final Proposals

10. That no changes should be made to this community.

Final Proposals – Radnorshire – Community R$hh1cxqol.doc