Draft Recommendations for Dorset County Council

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Contents

Summary 1

1 Introduction 3

2 Analysis and draft recommendations 5

Submissions received 5 Electorate figures 6 Council size 6 Division patterns 6 Detailed divisions 7 Christchurch Borough 8 East Dorset District 9 North Dorset District 11 Purbeck District 14 West Dorset District 16 Weymouth & Portland Borough 20 Conclusions 22 Parish electoral arrangements 22

3 Have your say 24

Appendices

A Table A1: Draft recommendations for Dorset County 26 Council

B Submissions received 30

C Glossary and abbreviations 32

Summary

Who we are

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is an independent body set up by Parliament. We are not part of government or any political party. We are accountable to Parliament through a committee of MPs chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Our main role is to carry out electoral reviews of local authorities throughout England.

Electoral review

An electoral review examines and proposes new electoral arrangements for a local authority. A local authority’s electoral arrangements decide:

• How many councillors are needed • How many wards or electoral divisions should there be, where are their boundaries and what should they be called • How many councillors should represent each ward or division

Why Dorset?

We are conducting an electoral review of Dorset County Council as the Council currently has high levels of electoral inequality where some councillors represent many more or many fewer voters than others. This means that the value of each vote in county council elections varies depending on where you live in Dorset. Overall, 33% of divisions currently have a variance of greater than 10%.

Our proposals for Dorset

Dorset County Council currently has 45 councillors. Based on the evidence we received during previous phases of the review, we consider that an increase in council size by one to 46 members will ensure the Council can discharge its roles and responsibilities effectively.

Electoral arrangements

Our draft recommendations propose that Dorset County Council’s 46 councillors should represent 34 single-member divisions and six two-member divisions. One of our proposed 40 divisions would have an electoral variance of greater than 10% from the average for Dorset by 2020.

You have until 6 July 2015 to have your say on the recommendations. See page 23 for how to have your say.

1 Introduction

1 This electoral review is being conducted following our decision to review Dorset County Council’s electoral arrangements to ensure that the number of voters represented by each councillor is approximately the same across the county.

What is an electoral review?

2 Our three main considerations in conducting an electoral review are set out in legislation1 and are to:

• Improve electoral equality by equalising the number of electors each councillor represents • Reflect community identity • Provide for effective and convenient local government

3 Our task is to strike the best balance between them when making our recommendations. Our powers, as well as the guidance we have provided for electoral reviews and further information on the review process, can be found on our website at www.lgbce.org.uk

Consultation

4 We wrote to the Council inviting the submission of proposals on council size. We then held a period of consultation on division patterns for the county. The submissions received during our consultation have informed our draft recommendations.

This review is being conducted as follows:

Stage starts Description 16 September 2014 Council size decision 23 September 2014 Division pattern consultation 12 May 2015 Draft recommendations consultation 7 July 2015 Analysis of submissions received and formulation of final recommendations 29 September 2015 Publication of final recommendations

How will the recommendations affect you?

5 The recommendations will determine how many councillors will serve on the Council. They will also decide which division you vote in, which other communities are in that division and, in some instances, which parish council wards you vote in. Your division name may also change, as may the names of parish or town council wards in the area. The names or boundaries of parishes will not change as a result of our recommendations.

1 Schedule 2 to the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. 3

What is the Local Government Boundary Commission for England?

6 The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is an independent body set up by Parliament under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.

Members of the Commission are:

Max Caller CBE (Chair) Professor Colin Mellors (Deputy Chair) Dr Peter Knight CBE DL Alison Lowton Sir Tony Redmond Professor Paul Wiles CB

Chief Executive: Jolyon Jackson CBE

2 Analysis and draft recommendations

7 Legislation2 states that our recommendations are not intended to be based solely on the existing number of electors3 in an area, but also on estimated changes in the number and distribution of electors likely to take place over a five-year period from the date of our final recommendations. We must also try to recommend strong, clearly identifiable boundaries for the divisions we put forward at the end of the review.

8 In reality, the achievement of absolute electoral fairness is unlikely to be attainable and there must be a degree of flexibility. However, our approach is to keep variances in the number of electors each councillor represents to a minimum.

9 In seeking to achieve electoral fairness, we work out the average number of electors per councillor by dividing the electorate by the number of councillors as shown on the table below.

2014 2020 Electorate of Dorset 333,375 358,840 County Number of councillors 46 46 Average number of 7,247 7,801 electors per councillor

10 Under our draft recommendations, one of our proposed divisions will have an electoral variance of greater than 10% from the average for the county by 2020. The outlier, Swanage, will have a variance of 11%. We are therefore satisfied that we have achieved good levels of electoral fairness for Dorset.

11 Additionally, in circumstances where we propose to divide a parish between district wards or county divisions, we are required to divide it into parish wards so that each parish ward is wholly contained within a single district ward or county division. We cannot make amendments to the external boundaries of parishes as part of an electoral review.

12 These recommendations cannot affect the external boundaries of Dorset County Council or result in changes to postcodes. They do not take into account parliamentary constituency boundaries. There is no evidence that the recommendations will have an adverse effect on local taxes, house prices, or car and house insurance premiums and we are not, therefore, able to take into account any representations which are based on these issues.

Submissions received

13 See Appendix B for details of submissions received. All submissions may be inspected at our offices and can also be viewed on our website at www.lgbce.org.uk

2 Schedule 2 to the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. 3 Electors refers to the number of people registered to vote, not the whole adult population. 5

Electorate figures

14 As prescribed in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, the Council submitted electorate forecasts for 2020, a period five years on from the scheduled publication of our final recommendations in 2015. These forecasts were broken down to polling district levels and projected an increase in the electorate of approximately 7.6% to 2020. The highest proportion of this growth across the county is expected in the borough of Christchurch.

15 Having considered the information provided by the Council, we are satisfied that the projected figures are the best available at the present time and these figures form the basis of our draft recommendations.

Council size

16 Dorset County Council submitted a proposal to increase the council size from 45 to 46. We carefully considered the representation received. We consider that the Council’s submission proposing a council of 46 is supported by adequate evidence to justify a small increase in council size. We are content that the Council has sufficiently demonstrated that the authority can operate efficiently and effectively under this council size and ensure effective representation of local residents. We therefore invited proposals for division arrangements based on a council size of 46.

17 We received two submissions concerning council size in response to consultation on division patterns. One proposed a reduction in size without specifying a number and the other supported a size of 46 for the present but also supported a future reduction in council size. We received no other comments. We were not persuaded by the evidence received to change our decision and have therefore based our draft recommendations on a council size of 46 elected members.

18 A council size of 46 provides the following allocation between the district councils in the county:

• Christchurch – five councillors • East Dorset – 10 councillors • North Dorset – eight councillors • Purbeck – five councillors • West Dorset – 11 councillors • Weymouth & Portland – seven councillors

Division patterns

19 During consultation on division patterns, we received 69 submissions, including one county-wide proposal from Dorset County Council. The majority of submissions received opposed the proposal in the county-wide scheme to divide the parishes of Lytchett Minster & Upton and Wool between divisions in the district of Purbeck. We also received two district-wide schemes for Purbeck, from a district councillor and a parish council. The remainder of the submissions provided localised comments for division arrangements in particular districts.

20 Having carefully considered the proposals received, we were of the view that 6 the proposed patterns of divisions in the county-wide scheme resulted in good levels of electoral equality in most areas of the county and generally used clearly identifiable boundaries.

21 Our draft recommendations are for 34 single-member divisions and six two- member divisions. We consider that our draft recommendations will provide for good electoral equality while reflecting community identities and interests where we have received such evidence during consultation.

22 A summary of our proposed electoral arrangements is set out in Table A1 (on pages 26–29) and on the large map accompanying this report.

23 We welcome all comments on these draft recommendations. We also welcome comments on the division names we have proposed as part of the draft recommendations.

Detailed divisions

24 The tables on pages 8–21 detail our draft recommendations for each district in Dorset. They detail how the proposed division arrangements reflect the three statutory4 criteria of:

• Equality of representation • Reflecting community interests and identities • Providing for convenient and effective local government

4 Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. 7

Christchurch Borough

Division Number of Variance Description Detail name Cllrs 2020 Burton 1 8% This division comprises of the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Grange parish of Burton and the The division reflects the local community and provides for Christchurch town areas of effective and convenient local government. Grange and Somerford. Christchurch 1 6% This division contains We received one proposal for this division. We have largely Central Christchurch town centre and included this as part of our draft recommendations, with one the Purewell area. modification. In order to improve electoral equality we have included the Fitzmaurice Road/Devon Road area in the Commons division instead of Christchurch Central. We also consider our proposed boundary along Barrack Road to be clearer and more easily identifiable. Commons 1 7% This division consists of the We received one proposal for this division. We have largely parish of Hurn and the Fairmile included this as part of our draft recommendations, with one area of Christchurch. modification. As described above, in order to improve electoral equality we have included the Fitzmaurice Road/Devon Road area in this division instead of Christchurch Central. Mudeford & 1 7% This division consists of the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Highcliffe Mudeford, Friars Cliff and The division reflects the local community and provides for Highcliffe areas of effective and convenient local government. Christchurch. Walkford 1 5% This division comprises of the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Walkford area of Christchurch. The division reflects the local community and provides for effective and convenient local government.

East Dorset District

Division Number of Variance Description Detail name Cllrs 2020 Colehill East 1 2% This division comprises the We received three proposals for this area. We have largely & Stapehill eastern part of Colehill parish adopted the boundaries as proposed in the county-wide and the Stapehill, Hampreston scheme, with the exception of the Leigh area of Colehill which and Longham areas of we have included in our Colehill West division. The alternative Ferndown parish. suggestions received were to keep the divisions in the Colehill area as they currently are. This would have consequential effects on neighbouring divisions, causing high levels of electoral inequality. Colehill West 1 1% This division comprises of the We received three proposals for this area. We have adopted & Wimborne western part of Colehill parish, the boundaries as proposed in the county-wide scheme. Minster up to the war memorial on However, we are including the Leigh area in our Colehill West Wimborne Road, and the division rather than our Colehill East division in order to better parish of Wimborne Minster. reflect the community in the area. Corfe Mullen 1 7% This division entirely comprises This division is based on the county-wide proposal received. of the parish of Corfe Mullen. We consider the parish boundary to be a clearly identifiable division boundary. It also provides for a division with a reasonable level of electoral equality. Cranborne 1 -8% This division consists of the This division is based on the county-wide proposal received, Chase parishes of Chalbury, with one modification. We are including the parish of Horton Cranborne, Edmondsham in our Verwood division rather than in Cranborne Chase. Gussage All Saints, Gussage A respondent commented that Holt parish would be better St Michael, Hinton Martell, included in a division with a larger urban area. We Hinton Parva, Holt, Long investigated whether Holt could be included in divisions of Crichel, Moor Crichel, Colehill, Ferndown or Moors. However, our investigations Pamphill, Pentridge, Sixpenny indicated that doing so would consequentially create a rural Handley, Shapwick, division with a significant level of electoral inequality (-23%). Sturminster Marshall, Wimborne St Giles and Witchampton. Ferndown 2 0% This division consists of This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Ferndown parish except for the We consider this division has clear boundaries and reflects 9

areas of Stapehill, Hampreston community identities. and Longham, and West Parley parish. Moors 2 -6% This division comprises the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. parishes of Moors and St Another submission proposed a modification to the boundary Leonards & St Ives, and the of the parish of West Moors. This is not something the Three Legged Cross area of Commission can carry out as part of this review and would Verwood parish. need to be considered by the East Dorset District Council as part of a Community Governance Review (CGR). Verwood 2 -7% This division contains the This division is based on the county-wide proposal received, majority of the parish of which was supported by another respondent. We have also Verwood, excluding the Three included the parish of Horton in this division in order to Legged Cross area, and the improve the level of electoral equality and to provide a more parishes of Horton and easily identifiable boundary. Woodlands.

North Dorset District

Division Number of Variance Description Detail name Cllrs 2020 Blackmore 1 -3% This division comprises the We received one proposal for this division, which we have Vale parishes of Fifehead Neville, adopted with minor modifications. In order to improve the Glanvilles Wootton, Hammoon, level of electoral equality we have included the parish of Hazelbury Bryan, Hilton, Stourton Caundle in our Stalbridge & The Beacon division, Hinton St Mary, Ibberton, rather than in this division. We have also added the parishes Lydlinch, Manston, of Woolland, Ibberton and Turnworth. Mappowder, Okeford Fitzpaine, Pulham, Stoke Wake, Sturminster Newton, Turnworth and Woolland. Blandford 1 7% This division comprises the The county-wide scheme proposed removing the Bryanston Forum majority of Blandford Forum Park area of Blandford Forum from the division in order to town, with the exception of the provide a good level of electoral equality. Other submissions Bryanston Park area. received opposed this and proposed a division consisting of the entirety of Blandford Forum parish. This would have 14% more electors than the county average by 2020. We do not consider that this level of electoral inequality has been justified by the evidence received. We are therefore adopting the proposal to include Bryanston Park in our Winterborne division instead of in our Blandford Forum division. Gillingham 2 -9% This division comprises the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. parishes of Bourton, Buckhorn The division reflects the local community and provides for Weston, East Stour, effective and convenient local government. We did investigate Gillingham, Kington Magna, whether the electoral equality of this division could be Motcombe, and Silton. improved. Our investigations indicated that any modifications would require consequential changes throughout the district which would not have reflected the evidence received. Hambledon 1 -4% This division comprises the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission.

parishes of Durweston, The division reflects the local community and provides for Chettle, Child Okeford, effective and convenient local government. Farnham, Hanford, Iwerne Courtney or Shroton, Iwerne Minster, Iwerne Steepleton, Langton Long Blandford, Pimperne, Shillingstone, Stourpaine, Sutton Waldron, Tarrant Crawford, Tarrant Gunville, Tarrant Hinton, Tarrant Keyneston, Tarrant Launceston, Tarrant Monkton, Tarrant Rawston, and Tarrant Rushton. Shaftesbury 1 -5% This division entirely comprises This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. of the parish of Shaftesbury. The division reflects the local community and provides for effective and convenient local government. Stalbridge & 1 -5% This division comprises the We received one proposal for this division, which we are The Beacon parishes of Ashmore, Cann, recommending with one modification. In order to improve the Compton Abbas, East level of electoral equality we have included the parish of Orchard, Fifehead Magdalen, Stourton Caundle in this division, rather than in Blackmore Fontmell Magna, Margaret Vale. Marsh, Marnhull, Melbury Abbas, Stour Provost, Stourton Caundle, Stalbridge, Todber, West Orchard, and West Stour. Winterborne 1 3% This division consists of the We received one proposal for this division. Our draft Bryanston Park area of recommendations are based on this proposal with some Blandford Forum and the modifications. In order to improve the level of electoral parishes of Anderson, equality we have not included the parishes of Wolland, Bryanston, Blandford St Mary, Ibberton and Turnworth in this division, instead including them

Charlton Marshall, Milborne St in Blackmore Vale. We have also included the Bryanston Park Andrew, Milton Abbas, area of Blandford Forum in this division. Spetisbury, Winterborne Clenston, Winterborne Houghton, Winterborne Kingston, Winterborne Stickland, Winterborne Whitechurch, and Winterborne Zelston.

Purbeck District

Division Number of Variance Description Detail name Cllrs 2020 Egdon Heath 1 -8% This division consists of the As a result of evidence received we are proposing a new parishes of Affpuddle and division for Wool and the surrounding parishes. The proposal Turnerspuddle, Chaldon we received would have joined part of Wool in a division with Herring, Coombe Keynes, East Wareham, part with the Lytchetts and part with the rural area. Holme, East Lulworth, East Several respondents to the consultation on division Stoke, Moreton, West arrangements emphasised a preference for the parish of Lulworth, Winfrith Newburgh Wool to remain in one division, and stated the villages in the and Wool. area do not have a connection to Wareham. Our division does not divide Wool parish between divisions. Swanage 1 11% This division entirely comprises While this division has a high electoral variance, we consider of the parish of Swanage. the proposed boundary reflects the community in the area and provides for effective and convenient local government. We did investigate whether electoral equality could be improved but considered that doing so would divide the communities in Swanage. Wareham 2 4% This division comprises the We received several submissions commenting on this area. North & northern part of Wareham The majority emphasised the community links in the parish of Lytchett town, except for the area south Lytchett Minster & Upton. One proposal divided this parish of the A351 and north of the and another proposed dividing the neighbouring parish of railway line, which is included Lytchett Matravers. We did not consider this best reflected the in our Wareham South & community in the area. We have therefore included the whole Purbeck Hills division. It also of the parish in our Wareham North & Lytchett division. In includes the parishes of Bere order to do so we have needed to include parts of Wareham Regis, Bloxworth, Lytchett town in two separate divisions. As the railway line and the Matravers, Lytchett Minster & A351 represent strong boundaries we consider that splitting Upton, Morden and Wareham Wareham represents less of a barrier to effective and St Martin. convenient local government than dividing Lytchett Minster & Upton or Lytchett Matravers. We also considered whether this

two-member division could be divided into single-member divisions. Our investigations indicated that in order to provide single-member divisions with reasonable levels of electoral equality it would be necessary to divide Lytchett Minster & Upton parish. We consider that this would not reflect the evidence received. Wareham 1 -5% This division contains the This division is based on the existing Purbeck Hills division, South & southern part of Wareham with the addition of the southern part of Wareham town and Purbeck Hills town. The boundary runs along without the parishes of Coombe Keynes, East Holme, East the railway line in the west of Lulworth, East Stoke, and West Stoke. the town, and then along the The southern area of Wareham south is separated from the A351 in the east of the town. northern area by the A351 and the railway line. The division also consists of the parishes of Arne, Church Knowle, Corfe Castle, Kimmeridge, Langton Matravers, Steeple with Tyneham, Studland and Worth Matravers.

West Dorset District

Division Number of Variance Description Detail name Cllrs 2020 Beaminster 1 -8% This division consists of the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. parishes of Beaminster, This was supported by another submission providing Broadwindsor, Burstock, evidence that the communities of Corscombe and Halstock Chedington, Corscombe, East look towards Beaminster rather than Sherborne. Chelborough, Halstock, Mapperton, Mosterton, Netherbury, Pilsdon, Seaborough, South Perrott, Stoke Abbott and West Chelborough. Bridport 1 -1% This division comprises of the The county-wide scheme proposed a different division in this North northern part of Bridport, north area, with one division for Bridport and Allington and a second of West Street/East Street, and for Bradpole, Bothenhampton, and the rural parishes between the parishes of Allington, this area and Frome Vauchurch. Askerswell, Bradpole, At the recent district review the area was divided in a north- Compton Valence, Hooke, south pattern along West Street and East Street. We consider Loders, North Poorton, basing the divisions in this area on the wards will provide the Powerstock, Toller Fratrum, most clearly identifiable boundary whilst providing for Toller Procorum, West divisions with good levels of electoral equality. Compton and Wynford Eagle. Bridport 1 -1% This division comprises the The county-wide scheme proposed a different division in this South southern part of Bridport, south area, with one division for Bridport and Allington and a second of West Street/East Street, and for Bradpole, Bothenhampton, and the rural parishes between the parishes of this area and Frome Vauchurch. Bothenhampton, Burton As described above, at the recent district review the area was Bradstock, Chilcombe, Litton divided in a north-south pattern. We consider basing the Cheney, Puncknowle, Shipton divisions in this area on the wards will provide the most Gorge and Swyre. clearly identifiable boundaries and provide for good electoral

equality. Chickerell & 1 -1% This division comprises the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Chesil Bank parishes of Abbotsbury, The division reflects the local community and provides for Chickerell, Kingston Russell, effective and convenient local government. Fleet, Langton Herring, Littlebredy, Long Bredy, Portesham, Winterbourne Abbas, Winterbourne Steepleton, Winterborne St Martin. Dorchester 2 7% This division is entirely This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. comprised of the parish of The division reflects the local community and provides for Dorchester. effective and convenient local government. Linden Lea 1 -2% This division comprises the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. parishes of Athelhampton, The division reflects the local community and provides for Bincombe, Broadmayne, effective and convenient local government. Burleston, Crossways, Dewlish, Osmington, Owermoigne, Poxwell, Puddletown, Tincleton, Tolpuddle, Warmwell, West Knighton, West Stafford, Winterborne Came, Winterborne Herringston, Winterborne Monkton, Whitcombe and Woodsford. Marshwood 1 -1% This division comprises the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Vale town of Lyme Regis and the The division reflects the local community and provides for parishes of Bettiscombe, effective and convenient local government. Catherston Leweston, Charmouth, Chideock, Marshwood, Stanton St

Gabriel, Symondsbury, Thorncombe, Whitchurch Canonicorum and Wootton Fitzpaine. Sherborne 1 -2% This division consists of the We received two proposals for this division. We are including Rural parishes of Batcombe, the division proposed in the whole-county scheme as part of Bradford Abbas, Buckland our draft recommendations. Newton, Castleton, Caundle An alternative submission proposed using the A37 as the Marsh, Clifton Maybank, western boundary of the division. We are not including this Evershot, Folke, Haydon, modification as part of our draft recommendations as it would Hillfield, Hermitage, Holnest, require the division and creation of parish wards for four Leweston, Leigh, Lillington, parishes. Melbury Bubb, Melbury We also received evidence that Buckland Newton would be Osmond, Minterne Magna, better placed in Three Valleys division than in Sherborne Nether Compton, North Rural. This would result in Sherborne Rural ward having 9% Wootton, Oborne, Over fewer electors than the county average by 2020. We do not Compton, Poyntington, Purse consider that the evidence received is strong enough for this Caundle, Sandford Orcas, higher level of electoral inequality. Stockwood, Thornford, and Trent. Sherborne 1 4% This division entirely comprises This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Town the parish of Sherborne. The division reflects the local community and provides for effective and convenient local government. We recognise that this division is in essence a doughnut division as it is surrounded by the Sherborne Rural division. We also considered whether to combine our Sherborne Town and Sherborne Rural divisions to form a two-member division. We considered that the alternatives would not better reflect our statutory criteria. Three Valleys 1 0% This division consists of the We received three submissions regarding this division. We parishes of Alton Pancras, have largely adopted the proposal from the county-wide Bradford Peverell, Cattistock, scheme, but we have included the parish of Frome Vauchurch

Cerne Abbas, Cheselbourne, in the division as a result of community evidence received. Charminster, Chilfrome, Frampton, Frome Vauchurch, Godmanstone, Maiden Newton, Melcombe Horsey, Nether Cerne, Stratton, Sydling St Nicholas, Piddlehinton, Piddletrenthide, and Up Cerne.

Weymouth & Portland Borough

Division Number of Variance Description Detail name Cllrs 2020 Broadwey 1 -4% This division comprises This division is based on the county-wide submission but with Broadwey, Upwey, Littlemoor a modification to the southern boundary. We consider that and the northern part of Wey Mount Pleasant Avenue North provides a more clearly Valley, as far south as the identifiable boundary than Manor Road. A354. Lodmoor 1 -1% This division comprises of the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. village of Preston and the The division reflects the local community and provides for Weymouth town area of effective and convenient local government. Melcombe Regis. Portland 1 8% This division consists of the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Harbour northern part of Portland The division reflects the local community and provides for parish, from the parish effective and convenient local government. We investigated boundary to New Road, and moving the southern boundary further south to improve the Wyke Regis. level of electoral equality in this division and in Portland Tophill, but considered that the current proposal best reflects the community in the area. Portland 1 -7% This division consists of the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Tophill southern area of Portland The division reflects the local community and provides for parish, south of the prison and effective and convenient local government. New Road. Rodwell 1 4% This division consists of the This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Rodwell and Southlands areas, The division reflects the local community and provides for from the north side of effective and convenient local government. Chickerell Road to Douglas Road and Stoke Road in the south. Westham 1 1% This division consists of the We received two submissions regarding this area. We have Westham area of Weymouth. largely adopted the division from the county-wide proposal

but with two modifications. A respondent proposed including Shirecroft Road and Kitchener Road in this division rather than in Weymouth Town. We are including this change as part of our draft recommendations. We have also modified the northern boundary with Broadwey division to provide a clear boundary. Weymouth 1 7% This division includes the area This division is as proposed by the county-wide submission. Town along the seafront in The division reflects the local community and provides for Weymouth, as far west as effective and convenient local government. Radipole Park Drive, and the area covered by Westham East district ward.

Conclusions

25 Table 1 shows the impact of our draft recommendations on electoral equality, based on 2014 and 2020 electorate figures.

Table 1: Summary of electoral arrangements

Draft recommendations

2014 2020

Number of councillors 46 46

Number of electoral divisions 40 40

Average number of electors per councillor 7,247 7,801

Number of divisions with a variance more 7 1 than 10% from the average Number of divisions with a variance more 0 0 than 20% from the average

Draft recommendation Dorset County Council should comprise 46 councillors serving 34 single-member divisions and six two-member divisions. The details and names are shown in Table A1 and illustrated on the large maps accompanying this report.

Mapping Sheet 1, Map 1 illustrates in outline form the proposed divisions for Dorset. You can also view our draft recommendations for Dorset on our interactive maps at http://consultation.lgbce.org.uk

Parish electoral arrangements

26 As part of an electoral review, we are required to have regard to the statutory criteria set out in Schedule 2 to the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (the 2009 Act). The Schedule provides that if a parish is to be divided between different divisions it must also be divided into parish wards, so that each parish ward lies wholly within a single ward. We cannot recommend changes to the external boundaries of parishes as part of an electoral review.

27 Under the 2009 Act we only have the power to make changes to parish electoral arrangements where these are as a direct consequence of our recommendations for principal authority warding arrangements. However, the District and Borough Councils in Dorset have powers under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 to conduct community governance reviews to effect changes to parish electoral arrangements.

28 As a result of our proposed ward boundaries and having regard to the statutory criteria set out in schedule 2 to the 2009 Act, we are providing revised parish electoral arrangements for Blandford Forum and Wareham Town.

29 As result of our proposed ward boundaries and having regard to the statutory criteria set out in schedule 2 to the 2009 Act, we are providing revised parish electoral arrangements for Blandford Forum parish.

Draft recommendation Blandford Forum Parish Council should comprise 16 councillors, as at present, representing five wards: Blandford Bryanston Park (returning one member), Blandford Central (returning seven members), Blandford Hilltop (returning three members), Blandford Langton St Leonards (returning three members), and Blandford Old Town (returning two members). The proposed parish ward boundaries are illustrated and named on Map 1.

30 As a result of our proposed ward boundaries and having regard to the statutory criteria set out in schedule 2 to the 2009 Act, we are providing revised parish electoral arrangements for Wareham Town parish.

Draft recommendation Wareham Town Council should comprise 16 councillors, as at present, representing two wards: Wareham North (returning seven members) and Wareham South (returning nine members). The proposed parish ward boundaries are illustrated and named on Map 1.

3 Have your say

31 The Commission has an open mind about its draft recommendations. Every representation we receive will be considered, regardless of whom it is from or whether it relates to the whole county or just a part of it.

32 If you agree with our recommendations, please let us know. If you don’t think our recommendations are right for Dorset, we want to hear alternative proposals for a different pattern of divisions.

33 Our website has a special consultation area where you can explore the maps and draw your own proposed boundaries. You can find it at consultation.lgbce.org.uk

Submissions can also be made by emailing [email protected] or by writing to: Review Officer (Dorset) The Local Government Boundary Commission for England Millbank Tower Millbank London SW1P 4QP

The Commission aims to propose a pattern of divisions for Dorset which delivers: • Electoral equality: each local councillor represents a similar number of voters • Community identity: reflects the identity and interests of local communities • Effective and convenient local government: helping your council discharge its responsibilities effectively

A good pattern of divisions should: • Provide good electoral equality, with each councillor representing, as closely as possible, the same number of voters • Reflect community interests and identities and include evidence of community links • Be based on strong, easily identifiable boundaries • Help the council deliver effective and convenient local government

Electoral equality: • Does your proposal mean that councillors would represent roughly the same number of voters as elsewhere in the council area?

Community identity: • Community groups: is there a parish council, residents’ association or other group that represents the area? • Interests: what issues bind the community together or separate it from other parts of your area? • Identifiable boundaries: are there natural or constructed features which make strong boundaries for your proposals?

Effective local government: • Are any of the proposed divisions too large or small to be represented effectively? • Are the proposed names of the divisions appropriate? 24

• Are there good links across your proposed divisions? Is there any form of public transport?

34 Please note that the consultation stages of an electoral review are public consultations. In the interests of openness and transparency, we make available for public inspection full copies of all representations the Commission takes into account as part of a review. Accordingly, copies of all representations will be placed on deposit at our offices in Layden House (London) and on our website at www.lgbce.org.uk A list of respondents will be available from us on request after the end of the consultation period.

35 If you are a member of the public and not writing on behalf of a council or organisation we will remove any personal identifiers, such as postal or email addresses, signatures or phone numbers from your submission before it is made public. We will remove signatures from all letters, no matter who they are from.

36 In the light of representations received, we will review our draft recommendations and consider whether they should be altered. As indicated earlier, it is therefore important that all interested parties let us have their views and evidence, whether or not they agree with the draft recommendations. We will then publish our final recommendations.

37 After the publication of our final recommendations, the changes we have proposed must be approved by Parliament. An Order – the legal document which brings into force our recommendations – will be laid in draft in Parliament. The draft Order will provide for new electoral arrangements to be implemented at the next elections for Dorset County Council in 2017.

Equalities

38 This report has been screened for impact on equalities, with due regard being given to the general equalities duties as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. As no potential negative impacts were identified, a full equality impact analysis is not required.

Appendix A

Table A1: Draft recommendations for Dorset County Council

Variance Variance Number of Number of Number of Electorate from Electorate from Division name electors per electors per councillors (2014) average (2020) average councillor councillor % % Christchurch Borough

1 Burton Grange 1 7,664 7,664 6% 8,424 8,424 8% Christchurch 2 1 7,598 7,598 5% 8,284 8,284 6% Central 3 Commons 1 8,226 8,226 14% 8,366 8,366 7% Mudeford & 4 1 8,206 8,206 13% 8,346 8,346 7% Highcliffe 5 Walkford 1 7,918 7,918 9% 8,190 8,190 5%

East Dorset District Colehill East & 6 1 7,583 7,583 5% 7,975 7,975 2% Stapehill

Colehill West & 7 1 7,488 7,488 3% 7,910 7,910 1% Wimborne Minster

Corfe Mullen 8 1 8,129 8,129 12% 8,310 8,310 7%

Table A1 (cont.): Draft recommendations for Dorset County Council

10 Ferndown 2 14,262 7,131 -3% 15,615 7,808 0%

11 Moors 2 13,983 6,992 -4% 14,600 7,300 -6%

12 Verwood 2 14,063 7,032 -3% 14,470 7,235 -7%

North Dorset District

13 Blackmore Vale 1 6,997 6,997 -3% 7,550 7,550 -3%

14 Blandford Forum 1 7,389 7,389 2% 8,317 8,317 7%

15 Gillingham 2 11,851 5,926 -18% 14,230 7,115 -9%

16 Hambledon 1 6,745 6,745 -7% 7,510 7,510 -4%

17 Shaftesbury 1 6,106 6,106 -16% 7,390 7,390 -5% Stalbridge & The 18 1 6,866 6,866 -5% 7,440 7,440 -5% Beacon 19 Winterborne 1 7,065 7,065 -3% 8,023 8,023 3%

20 Egdon Heath 1 6,161 6,161 -15% 7,210 7,210 -8%

21 Swanage 1 7,973 7,973 10% 8,680 8,680 11% Wareham North & 22 2 15,175 7,588 5% 16,182 8,091 4% Lytchett Wareham South & 23 1 7,039 7,039 -3% 7,418 7,418 -5% Purbeck Hills West Dorset District

24 Beaminster 1 7,026 7,026 -3% 7,160 7,160 -8%

25 Bridport North 1 7,631 7,631 5% 7,715 7,715 -1%

26 Bridport South 1 7,407 7,407 2% 7,753 7,753 -1% Chickerell & 27 1 7,127 7,127 -2% 7,700 7,700 -1% Chesil Bank 28 Dorchester 2 15,371 7,686 6% 16,730 8,365 7%

29 Linden Lea 1 7,192 7,192 -1% 7,680 7,680 -2%

30 Marshwood Vale 1 6,993 6,993 -4% 7,702 7,702 -1%

31 Sherborne Rural 1 7,792 7,792 8% 7,650 7,650 -2%

33 Three Valleys 1 7,920 7,920 9% 7,770 7,770 0%

Weymouth & Portland District

34 Broadwey 1 7,163 7,163 -1% 7,452 7,452 -4%

35 Lodmoor 1 7,196 7,196 -1% 7,730 7,730 -1%

36 Portland Harbour 1 7,136 7,136 -2% 8,440 8,440 8%

36 Portland Tophill 1 6,380 6,380 -12% 7,240 7,240 -7%

38 Rodwell 1 7,489 7,489 3% 8,137 8,137 4%

39 Westham 1 7,663 7,663 6% 7,841 7,841 1%

40 Weymouth Town 1 7,353 7,353 1% 8,360 8,360 7%

Totals 46 333,375 – – 358,840 – –

Averages – – 7,247 – – 7,801 – Source: Electorate figures are based on information provided by Dorset County Council.

Note: The ‘variance from average’ column shows by how far, in percentage terms, the number of electors per councillor in each electoral ward varies from the average for the district. The minus symbol (-) denotes a lower than average number of electors. Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number. 29

Appendix B

Submissions received

All submissions received can also be viewed on our website at http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-reviews/south-west/dorset/dorset-county-council

Local authority

• Dorset County Council

District councils

• East Dorset District Council

Councillors

• Councillor D Budd • Councillor G Bugler • Councillor B Cooper • Councillor J Dover • Councillor A Gibb • Councillor D Harris (two submissions) • Councillor P Johns (two submissions) • Councillor J Porter • Councillor F Rickard • Councillor P Wharf

Parish and town councils

• Affpuddle & Turnerspuddle Parish Council • Blandford Forum Town Council • Bridport Town Council • Broadwindsor Parish Council • Buckland Newton Parish Council • Colehill Parish Council • Corscombe, Halstock & District Parish Council • Holt Parish Council • Knowlton Parish Council • Langton Matravers Parish Council • Lytchett Minster & Upton Town Council (two submissions) • Maiden Newton Parish Council • Sixpenny Handley with Pentridge Parish Council • Sturminster Marshall Parish Council • Swanage Town Council • Vale of Allen Parish Council • Verwood Town Council

30 • Wareham Town Council • West Moors Parish Council • Wool Parish Council • Worth Matravers Parish Council

Local organisations

• Lytchett Minster & Upton Town Plan Group (PULM)

Residents

• 32 local residents

Appendix C

Glossary and abbreviations

Council size The number of councillors elected to serve on a council

Electoral Change Order (or Order) A legal document which implements changes to the electoral arrangements of a local authority

Division A specific area of a county, defined for electoral, administrative and representational purposes. Eligible electors can vote in whichever division they are registered for the candidate or candidates they wish to represent them on the county council

Electoral fairness When one elector’s vote is worth the same as another’s

Electoral inequality Where there is a difference between the number of electors represented by a councillor and the average for the local authority

Electorate People in the authority who are registered to vote in elections. For the purposes of this report, we refer specifically to the electorate for local government elections

Number of electors per councillor The total number of electors in a local authority divided by the number of councillors

Over-represented Where there are fewer electors per councillor in a ward or division than the average

Parish A specific and defined area of land within a single local authority enclosed within a parish boundary. There are over 10,000 parishes in England, which provide the first tier of representation to their local residents

Parish council A body elected by electors in the parish which serves and represents the area defined by the parish boundaries. See also ‘Town council’

Parish (or Town) council electoral The total number of councillors on arrangements any one parish or town council; the number, names and boundaries of parish wards; and the number of councillors for each ward

Parish ward A particular area of a parish, defined for electoral, administrative and representational purposes. Eligible electors vote in whichever parish ward they live for candidate or candidates they wish to represent them on the parish council

Town council A parish council which has been given ceremonial ‘town’ status. More information on achieving such status can be found at www.nalc.gov.uk

Under-represented Where there are more electors per councillor in a ward or division than the average

Variance (or electoral variance) How far the number of electors per councillor in a ward or division varies in percentage terms from the average

Ward A specific area of a district or borough, defined for electoral, administrative and representational purposes. Eligible electors can vote in whichever ward they are registered for the candidate or candidates they wish to represent them on the district or borough council