Brighton in the County of East Sussex
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171 Local Government Boundary Commission For England Report No. 361 LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND CHAIRMAN Sir Nicholas Morrison KCB DEPUTY CHAIRMAN Mr J M Rankin QC MEMBERS Lady Bov/den Mr J T Brockbank Mr R R Thornton CB DL Mr D P Harrison Professor G E Cherry To tjie Rt Hon William Whitelaw, CH, MC, MF. Secretary of State for the Home Department PROPOSALS FOB FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE BOROUGH OF BRIGHTON IN THE COUNTY OF EAST SUSSEX 1* We, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, having carried ont our Initial review of the electoral arrangements for the borough of Brighton in accordance with the requirements of section 63 of, and Schedule 9 to, the Local Government Act 1972, present our proposals for the future electoral arrangements for that district* 2* In accordance with the procedure laid down In section 60(1) and (2) of the 1972 Act, notice wae given on 12 August 1974 that we were to undertake this review* This was Incorporated in a consultation letter addressed to Brighton Borough Council, copies of which were circulated to East Sussex County Council, parish councils and parish meetings in the district, Members of Parliament for the constituencies concerned and the headquarters of the main political parties* Copies were also sent to the editors of the local newspapers circulating in the area and of the local government press* Notices inserted in the local press announced the start of the review and Invited comments from members of the public and from Interested bodies* 3* Brighton Borough Council were invited to prepare a draft scheme of representation for our consideration* In doing so, they were asked to observe the rules laid down in Schedule 11 to the Local Government Act 1972 and the guidelines which we set out in our Report No 6 about the proposed si 20 of the council and the proposed number of councillors for each ward. They were also asked to take into account views expressed to them following their consultation with local interests* We therefore asked that they should publish details of their provisional proposals about a month before they submitted their draft scheme to us, thus allowing an opportunity for local comment* 4* The Council have passed a resolution under section 7(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, requesting a system of elections by thirds* 5. On 19 December 1974 the Council presented a draft scheme of representation. We considered the scheme but, on tho grounds of inequality of representation, we were unable to accept it as the basis for draft proposals* Accordingly. we invited the Council to revise their draft scheme* 6. On 7 February 1977 the Council presented a revised draft scheme* They proposed to divide the borough into 16 wards, each returning 3 councillors, to form a council of 48. 7* We considered the Council's revised draft scheme together with the comments which had been made upon it* We decided to adopt the Council's revised draft scheme as the basis for our draft proposals, but to realign the boundary between the Regency and St Nicholas wards to meet local objections and to change the name of the proposed St Nicholas ward to 'Seven Dials1* 8. On 30 August 1977 we issued our draft proposals and these were sent to all who had received our consultation letter or had commented on the Council's draft scheme* The Council were asked to make the draft proposals, and the accompanying map, which defined the proposed ward boundaries, available for inspection at their "»•*" offices* Representations on our draft proposals were invited from those to whom they were circulated and, by public notices* from other members of the public and interested bodies* We asked that comments should reach us by 28 October 1977* 9* In view of the comments we received in response to the draft proposals we decided that we needed further information to enable us to reach a conclusion. At our request an Assistant Commissioner was appointed and asked to conduct a local meeting. This was held in the Town Hall, Brighton on 19 January 1978* 10* It was however evident that the arrangements for the meeting had been impaired by bad weather and, as a result, a number of people who had wished to put forward views had been unable to be present when the Assistant Commissioner eventually was able to start the meeting. In these circumstances we did not consider we could proceed with confidence to formulate final proposals without re-publication of our draft proposals and fresh consultation on them* 11. Our re-published draft proposals were issued on 22 December, 1978 and were sent to all who had received our consultation letter or had subsequently commented. Public notices explained the reasons for our taking this unusual step, and Invited comments on the draft proposals* We asked that they should reaoh us by 28 February, 1979. 12* The Council supported our draft proposals as did a number of councillors and private Individuals. There were however objections, particularly to the modifications we had proposed for the two wards referred to in paragraph 7 above; and a local political association,supported by two private individuals, put forward an alternative scheme for a. third ward. Two branches of a political party and a second political assocatlon each put forward comments about several wards* 13. In view of these comments we decided it would be appropriate to afford a further opportunity for local discussion* Mr T Fbord was, In accordance with section 65(2) of the Local Government Act, 1972 and at our request, appointed an Assistant Commissioner* He was asked to hold a local meeting and report to us* 14* The Assistant Commissioner held the meeting in the Royal Pavilion, Brighton on 11 July 1979* A copy of his report to us of the meeting Is at Schedule 1 to this report* 15* In the light of the discussions at the meeting, and his inspection of the areas which were the subject of comment, the Assistant Commissioner recommended that our draft proposals should be adopted subject to reversion to the Council's earlier suggestions for the boundaries of Regency and Seven Dials Wards* 16* We reviewed our draft proposals in the light of the comments which we had received and of the Assistant Commissioner's report. We concluded as he did that, although the arguments were finely balanced, the arrangements in the Borough Council's draft scheme for tne Regency and Seven Dials wards were preferable to the modifications we had made in our draft proposals, but that otherwise our draft proposals should stand. We decided therefore to adopt the Assistant Commissioner's recommendations and formulated our final proposals accordingly* 17* Details of these final proposals are set out in Schedules 2 and 3 to this report and on the attached map* Schedule 2 gives the names of the wards and the number of councillors to be returned by each* A detailed description of the boundaries of the proposed wards, as defined on the map, is set out in Schedule 3* FOBLICATIQH 18* In accordance with Section 60(5)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972* a copy of this report and a copy of the map are being sent to Brighton Borough Council and will be available for public inspection at the Borough Council's ""»•*" offices* Copies of this report (without the map) are being sent to those who received the consultation letter and to those who made constants* US. Signed: NICHOUS MDBEISON (CHAIBM&H) JOHN M RANKUJ (DEPUTI CHAIBMAN) PHTTiTiTfl BOUDEN TYRRELL BBOCKBANK G S CHERRI D F H&BRISON E E THOfiNTON LESUE GEJMSHAW (Secretary) 20th September 1979 SCHSDUL3 1 THOMAS FOORD 73 FIRST AVENUE. LL.a.CHONI.I. P.C.t.m., L.M.H.T.F.I. WORTHING. SOLICITOR SUSSEX. BNI4 9NP WONTHINfl *OO7«« 19th July 1979. Your ref: LGBC/D/14/4 L.B, Grimshaw Esq., Local Government Boundary Commission for England, 20 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TJ. Dear Sir, Review of the Electoral. Arrangements for the Borough of Brighton 1. Having been appointed an Assistant Commissioner by the Home Secretary, in accordance with section 65(2) of the Local Government Act 1972, I was asked by the Commission to hold a public meeting to hear representations and local views on their draft proposals for the electoral arrangements for the Borough of Brighton. I was advised that the meeting was part of the process of local consultation, and should be run on lines as informal as possible, so as to encourage a full exchange of views, but consistent with the need to ensure a fair hearing. 2. At present the electoral arrangements for the Borough provide for 19 wards, seventeen of which are represented by three councillors each on the Council, and two by four counc- illors each, giving a total Council of 59. The draft scheme for the future electoral arrangements submitted by the Council to the Local Government Boundary Commission in February 1977 proposed that the Borough should be divided into 16 wards each returning 3 councillors, giving a total Council of 48 members. 3. The Commission's draft proposals are based on the Council's scheme but in the light of objections received, to the Council's scheme the Commission re-aligned the boundary between the Council's proposed Regency and St. Nicholas wards, and changed the name of St. Nicholas Ward to Seven Dials Ward. The proposals are as follows! Name of Ward No. of Councillors Hanover 3 Hollingbury 3 King's Cliff 3 Marine 3 Moulsecoomb 3 Patcham 3 .Preston 3 Regency 3 Rottingdean 3 - 2 - Name of Ward No, of Councillors St.