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Local Government Boundary Commission For Report No.170 LOCAL GOVERNMENT

BOUNDARY COMMISSION

POR ENGLAND

REPORT NO. I7C LDCAT, &OVBBMHEH2 BOUHDABX COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND

CHAIRMAN ... \ ; Sir Edmund Compton, OCB.KBE. DEPUTY CHAIRJ5AN .

Mr J M Rankin,QC. ' ,

MEMBERS . . The Countess Of Albemarle, JQBE. Mr T C Benfield. , ' Profeosor Michael ChleholJBu Sir Andrew Wheatley,CBE. . To the Rt Hon Merlyn Rees, MP Secretary of State for the Home Department

PROPOSALS FOR REVISED ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE DISTRICT OF WEST IN THE COUNTY OF OXFORDSHIRE

i 1. We, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, having carried out our initial review of the electoral arrangements for the district of V/est Oxfordshire 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 was given on 25 April 1975 that we were to undertake this review. This was incorporated in a consultation letter addressed to the District Council, copies of which were circulated to Oxfordshire County Council, the Members of Parliament for the constituencies concerned, Councils and Parish Meetings in the district and the headquarters of the main political parties. Copies were also sent to the editors of local newspapers circulating in the area and to 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 any interested bodies.

3- West Oxfordshire District 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 size of the council and the proposed number of councillors for each ward. They were asked J also to take into account any 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.

1 4. In accordance with section 7W(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, the Council have exercised an option for elections by thirds*

5. On 27 October 1975, West Oxfordshire District Council presented their draft scheme of representation. The Council proposed to divide the area into 33 wards each returning 1, 2 or 3 members to form a Council of ^8, ,

6. We considered the draft scheme together with the comments which we had received and those which had been transmitted to us by the District Council. The latter comments included a number of proposals which the Council had not felt able to include in their draft scheme. From Town Council there were suggestions for minor modifications to the proposed wards in Witney while Freeland and Parish Councils had requested the division of the proposed ward comprising those so that each of them would be,separately represented on the District Council* Asthal Parish Council had asked to be included in a district ward with the parishes of Taynton, Fulbrook and and Widford rather than with the parish of as the District Council were proposing. From the Parish Council there were proposals for the regrouping of the parishes in the northern part of the district so as to give the more rural parishes a separate voice on the Council* The case for this was urged upon us by letters which we had received from the Chairman of the Parish Council. He also suggested a new regrouping which offered a somewhat better standard of equality of representation than that which had been put forward by the parish council. Finally, there was a request from the Wootton Parish Council who asked that the proposed and Wootton ward should be named simply "Wootton".

* . • 7. After due consideration, we felt unable to accept any of the modifications which had been suggested and we resolved, as the District Council had done, to reject them. 8. We considered whether the draft scheme should be modified to secure improved equality of representation and, to this end, we decided that the proposed Witney South ward should be represented by 3 councillors instead of 2 as the District Council had proposed.

9* Subject to the modification mentioned in paragraph 8 above, we decided that the District Council's draft scheme provided a reasonable basis for the future electoral arrangements for the district in compliance with the rules in Schedule 11 to the 1972 Act and our guidelines, and we formulated our draft proposals accordingly.

10. On 11 February 1976 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 these draft proposals, and the accompanying map which illustrated the proposed ward boundaries, available for inspection at their main office. Hepresentations 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 any comments should reach us by 14 April 1976. i 11. West Oxfordshire District Council informed us that they were in agreement with our draft proposals* From a letter from the Oxfordshire County Council, we noted the Council's view that df our draft proposals for the district were adopted, it would not everywhere be possible, in proposing county electoral arrangements, to establish county electoral divisions comprising one or more complete wards. However, they expressed the view that it should, nonetheless, be possible to form satisfactory county electoral divisions provided/the parishes of Witney and « Carterton and were divided into wards in the manner proposed. 12. From Parish Council we received a letter objecting to the District Council's decision to opt for a system of election by thirds. In particular, they objected to the proposed separate election of the two district councillors allocated to the proposed Charlbury ward. We noted that the decision as to the system of elections to be adopted in the district was one for the District Council and that we had no jurisdiction in the matter. We considered whether the proposed scheme for the retirement of councillors should be modified so as to permit the two councillors to be returned by the Charlbury ward to be elected in the same election year. We concluded, however, that this would be contrary to the spirit of the system of election by thirds and accordingly that no change should be made*

'X 13. - Freeland Parish Council asked that one of the two councillors to be returned by the proposed Freeland and Hanborough ward should be charged with a special responsibility for the parish of Freeland while the other should have responsibi- lity for the parish of Hanborough. We concluded that this was not an arrangement for which formal provision could be made and we considered again whether it would be appropriate to divide the ward into two separate wards each represented by one councillor. We noted, however, that this would leave the parish of Freeland with a generous standard of representation as compare.d with Hanborough which has a bigger electorate and, having regard to the requirement for equality of representation, we concluded, as we had previously, that this would produce a less satisfactory solution.

14. In the absence of any other commentson our draft proposals, we resolved that they should be confirmed and we formulated our final proposals accordingly.

15* Details of these final proposals are set out in Schedules 1, 2 and 3 to this report and on the attached map. Schedule 1 gives the names of the wards, and the number of councillors to be returned by each. The area of each of the proposed wards is defined in Schedule 2. Schedule 3 shows our proposals for the order of retirement of councillors. The boundaries of the proposed new wards, as defined in

Schedule 2» are illustrated on the map. PUBLICATION

16. 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 West Oxfordshire District Council and will be available for public inspection at the Council's main offices, Copies of this report are also being sent to those who received the consultation o letter and to those who made comments*

Signed: L.S, k

EDMUND COMPTON (CHAIRMAN)

JOHN M RANKIN (DEPUTY CHAIRMAN)

DIANA ALBEHARLE

T C BENFIELD

MICHAEL CHISHOLM

ANDREW WHEATLEY

IT. DIGNEY (SECRETARY)

30 September 1976 SCHEDULE 1

DISTRICT OF WEST OXFORDSHIRE: NAMES OF PROPOSED WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS.

NAME OF WARD NO.OF COUNCILLORS ASCQTT AND SHIPTON 1 ASTON HAMPTON AND 1 BAMPTON 1 BARTCNS , 1 AND 1 AND CURBRIDGE . 1 1 CAMEROON NORTH 3 CAHTERTON SOUTH - 3 1 CHARLBURY . 2 _ 3 CLANFIELD AND SHILTON 1 COMBE AND STONESFIEU) . 1 ' 1 1 3 AND LANGPORD 1 AND 1 FREELAND AND HANBOROUGH 2 HAILEY 1 1 MILTON-UKDER- T MINSTER LOVELL ' 1 1 . 1 1 TACKLEY AND WOOTTON 1 WITNEY EAST 2 WITNEY NORTH 2 WITNEY SOUTH 3 WITNEY WEST 2 WOODSTOCK 2 SCHEDULE 3

o

DISTRICT OF WEST OXFORDSHIRE: DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED WARD BOUNDARIES

KINGHAM WARD

The 'Parishes of Churchill Kingham Cornwell

CHIPPING NORTON WARD .. * The Parish of Chipping Norton

ROLLRIGHT WARD The Parishes of Salford Rollright

ENSTONE WARD The Parishes of Enstone

Little Tew Swerford

' BARTONS WARD

The Parishes of

Westcot Barton

Sandford St Martin

Worton TACKLEY AND WOOTTON WARD

The Parishes of Roushsun Tackley Wootton with

CHARLBURY WARD

The Parish of Charlbury

CHADLINGTON WARD

' The Parishes of

Spelsbury

Chadlington

Chilson

ASCOTT AND SHIPTON WARD The Parishes of Shipton-under-Wychwood

Ascott-under-Wychwood Lyneham

MILTON-UNDER-WYCHWOOD WARD The Parishes of Milton-under-Wychwood

Bruern Fifield k BURFORD WARD The Parishes of Burford and Upton and Signet Fulbrook ^ Taynton

MINSTER LOVELL WARD

The Parishes of Asthal Minster Love11

FINSTOCK AND LEAFIELD WARD The Parishes of Leafield Finstock

HAILEY WARD

The Parishes of Hailey

Crawley Ramsden

NORTH LEIGH WARD

The Parish of North Leigh

COMBE AND WARD

The Parishes of Combe Stonesfield

WOODSTOCK WARD The Parishes of Blenheim Woodstock Kensington Without BLADON AND CASSINGTON WARD

The Parishes of Bladon

Gassington

FREELAND AND HANBOROUGH WARD

The Parishes of Freeland

Hanborough

EYNSHAM WARD

The Parish of Eynsham

STANTON HARCOURT WARD

The Parishes of Northraoor Stanton Harcourt

South Leigh

WITNEY NORTH WARD

The Witney North Ward of the Parish of Witney

WITNEY WEST WARD

The Witney West Ward of the Parish of Witney

WITNEY EAST WARD The Witney East Ward of the Parish of Witney

WITNEY SOUTH WARD

The Witney South Ward of the Parish of Witney

DUCKLINGTON WARD - •

The Parishes of Ducklington

Hardwick-with- BRIZE NORTON AND CURBRIDGE WARD •

The Parishes of- Brize Norton

Curbridge

Lew

i CARTERTON NORTH WARD

The Carterton North Ward of the Parish of Carterton and Black Bourton '• ". -

CARTERTON SOUTH WARD

The Black Bourton Ward and the Carterton Central Ward of the Parish of Carterton and Black Bourton

CLANFIELD AND SHILTON WARD

The Parishes of Shilton

Alvescot Clanfield

Grafton and Radcot

FILKINS AND LANQFORD WARD

The Parishes of Westwell

Holwell

Filkins and

Broadwe11 t ft Langford

Little

Kelmscott BAMPTGN WARD The Parish of Bampton

ASTON BAMPTON AND STANDLAKE WARD The Parishee of Standlake ,.') . ' u Aston Bampton and i SCHEDULE 3

DISTiaCT OF VEST OXFORDSHIRE

ORDER OF MLTIRUMKIJT OF COUNCILLORS

KG. OF COUNCILLORS . NAME OK WARD 1ST YEAR 2ND YEAR' .-,..„ REPRESENTING WARD - , •

Ascott .and Shipton . 1 1-PE I As ton Banpton and Standleke 1 1 PS . « Bampton 1 1- PE _ ._ Bartons 1 1 PE - ^Bladon and Cassington 1 1 PE - Brize Norton and Curbridge 1 1 PE - -_ - Burford 1 1 PE - Carterton North 3 1 1 PE 1 Carterton South 3 1 1 PE - 1 Chadlington 1 ' 1 PE - Charlbury 2 1 1 PE Chipping Norton 3 1 1- PE 1 Clanfield and Shilton 1 1 PE Combe and Stonesfield 1 - 1 PS - Ducklington 1 - 1 PE — En stone 1 - 1 PE - - - Eynsham 3 1 '1 PE 1 Filkins and Langford 1 1 PE Finstock and Leafield 1 - 1 PE - - - Freeland and Hanborough 2 1 1 PE Hailey 1 -1 PE - Kingham 1 1- PE - - Milton-under-Wychwood 1 - _- 1 PE Minster Lovell 1 -. 1 PE - North Leigh 1 1 PE Rollright 1 - . - ' 1 PE Stanton Harcourt 1 • . - 1 PE 1 • - 1 PE Tackley and Wootton - Witney East 2 1 PE 1 Witney north 2 1 1 PE Witney South 3 1 1 PE -1 Witney West 2 1 PE 1 Woodstock 2 1- 1 PE - 16 16 17 9

$p = Parish Elections

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