Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for South Holland in Lincolnshire
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR SOUTH HOLLAND IN LINCOLNSHIRE Report to the Secretary of State for the Environment March 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 South Holland in Lincolnshire. 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 7 4 RESPONSES TO CONSULTATION 9 5 ANALYSIS AND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS 11 6 NEXT STEPS 21 APPENDIX Final Recommendations for South Holland: Detailed Mapping 23 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND iii iv LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Local Government Commission for England 25 March 1997 Dear Secretary of State On 19 March 1996 the Commission commenced a periodic electoral review of the district of South Holland under the Local Government Act 1992. It published its draft recommendations in October 1996 and undertook a nine-week period of consultation. In the light of the consultation the Commission has decided to confirm its draft recommendations as final. This report sets out the Commission’s recommendations for changes to electoral arrangements in the area. The Commission is recommending to you that South Holland should be served by 38 councillors representing 22 wards, and that some changes should be made to ward boundaries in order to improve electoral equality, having regard to the Commission’s statutory criteria. It is recommended that the whole Council should continue to be elected together every four years. I would like to thank members and officers of the District 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 South Holland These recommendations seek to ensure that the on 19 March 1996. It published its draft number of electors represented by each district recommendations on electoral arrangements on 31 councillor is as nearly as possible the same, having October 1996, after which it undertook a nine- regard to local circumstances. week period of consultation. ● In 17 of the 22 wards the number of electors ● This report summarises the submissions per councillor would vary by no more than received by the Commission during 10 per cent from the district average. consultation on its draft recommendations, and offers its final recommendations to the ● By 2001, the number of electors per Secretary of State. councillor would vary by no more than 10 per cent from the average in 13 wards. The Commission found that the existing electoral arrangements provide unequal representation of Recommendations are also made for changes to electors in South Holland because: parish council electoral arrangements: ● in 13 of the 23 wards, the number of ● they provide for changes to the warding electors represented by each councillor varies arrangements of Holbeach Parish Council. by more than 10 per cent from the average for the district; All further correspondence on these ● in three of these wards, the number of recommendations and the matters electors represented by each councillor varies discussed in this report should be by more than 30 per cent from the average; addressed to the Secretary of State for the Environment, who will not make an ● by 2001, the number of electors per Order implementing the Commission’s councillor is likely to vary by over 10 per recommendations before 5 May 1997. cent from the average in 16 of the wards. The Commission’s final recommendations for the District Council’s electoral arrangements (Figure 1) are that: ● South Holland should continue to be served by 38 councillors; ● there should be 22 wards, rather than 23 as at present; ● the ward boundaries of 14 of the existing wards should be modified while nine wards should retain their existing boundaries; ● elections should continue to take place every four years, with the next elections taking place in 1999. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND vii Figure 1: The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 1 Crowland 2 Unchanged (Crowland parish) Map 2 2 Deeping St Nicholas 1 Unchanged (Deeping St Nicholas parish) Map 2 3 Donington 2 Unchanged (Donington and Map 2 Quadring parishes) 4 Fleet 1 Unchanged (Fleet parish) Map 2 5 Gedney 1 Unchanged (Gedney parish) Map 2 6 Gosberton Village 1 Unchanged (Gosberton Village ward Map 2 of Gosberton parish) 7 Holbeach Hurn 1 Holbeach Hurn district and parish ward Maps 2 and A2 (part); Holbeach Town district and parish ward (part) 8 Holbeach St John’s 1 Holbeach St John’s district and parish ward Maps 2 and A3 (part) 9 Holbeach Town 3 Holbeach Town district and parish ward Maps 2, A2 (part); Holbeach Hurn district and and A3 parish ward (part); Holbeach St John’s district and parish ward (part) 10 Long Sutton 3 Long Sutton ward (Lutton, Little Sutton Map 2 parishes); Sutton Bridge ward (part - Tydd St Mary parish) 11 Pinchbeck 3 Pinchbeck East district and parish ward; Map 2 Pinchbeck West district and parish ward 12 Spalding Castle 1 Spalding North ward (part); Spalding large map Central ward (part); Spalding West ward (part) 13 Spalding Monks 2 Spalding West ward (part) large map House 14 Spalding St John’s 2 Spalding South ward (part); Spalding large map Central ward (part); Spalding West ward part 15 Spalding St Mary’s 2 Spalding South ward (part); Spalding large map East ward (part) 16 Spalding St Paul’s 2 Spalding East ward (part) large map 17 Spalding Wygate 2 Spalding West ward (part) large map viii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Figure 1 (continued): The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 18 Surfleet 1 Unchanged (Surfleet parish, Gosberton Map 2 Risegate ward of Gosberton parish) 19 Sutton Bridge 2 Sutton Bridge ward (part - Sutton Bridge Map 2 parish) 20 The Saints 1 Unchanged (Gedney Hill, Sutton Map 2 St Edmund and Sutton St James parishes) 21 Weston & Moulton 3 Weston ward (Weston and Cowbit parishes); Map 2 Moulton ward (Moulton parish) 22 Whaplode 1 Unchanged (part of Whaplode parish) Map 2 Notes: 1 Constituent areas are unparished except where indicated. 2 The large map inserted at the back of the report details the proposed ward boundaries in the town of Spalding. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ix x LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND 1. INTRODUCTION 1 This report contains the Commission’s final 5 The review of South Holland was in four stages recommendations on the electoral arrangements (Figure 2). for the district of South Holland in Lincolnshire. 6 Stage One commenced on 19 March 1996. The 2 The Commission has now reviewed the districts Commission wrote to South Holland District in Lincolnshire as part of its programme of Council inviting it to make proposals for its future periodic electoral reviews of all principal local electoral arrangements. Copies of that letter were authority areas in England. This is the sent to Lincolnshire County Council, the other Commission’s first review of the electoral borough and district councils in Lincolnshire, arrangements for South Holland. The last such Lincolnshire Police Authority, the local authority review was undertaken by the Commission’s associations, Lincolnshire Association of Local predecessor, the Local Government Boundary Councils, parish councils in the area, Members of Commission (LGBC), which reported to the Parliament and Members of the European Secretary of State in December 1977 (Report No. Parliament with constituency interests in the 265). The electoral arrangements for Lincolnshire district, and the headquarters of the main political County Council were last reviewed in September parties. The Commission also placed a notice in the 1980 (Report No. 396). It is intended that a local press, issued a press release and invited the review of the County Council’s electoral District Council itself to publicise the review. arrangements will follow in due course. 7 At Stage Two the Commission considered all 3 In undertaking the periodic reviews, the the representations received during Stage One and Commission is required to have regard to: formulated its draft recommendations. ● the statutory criteria contained in section 13(5) 8 Stage Three began on 31 October 1996 with of the Local Government Act 1992: the publication of the Commission’s report, Draft Recommendations on the Future Electoral (a) to reflect the identities and interests of local Arrangements for South Holland in Lincolnshire. communities; and Copies were sent to all those to whom the (b) to secure effective and convenient local Commission wrote at the start of the review as well government; as to those who had written to the Commission during Stage One, inviting comments on the ● the Rules to be Observed in Considering Electoral Commission’s preliminary conclusions. Again the Arrangements contained in Schedule 11 to the Commission placed a notice in the local press, Local Government Act 1972. issued a press release and invited the District Council to publicise the report more widely.