Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for Bedford in Bedfordshire
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Final recommendations on the future electoral arrangements for Bedford in Bedfordshire Report to the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions August 2001 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND © Crown Copyright 2001 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. This report is printed on recycled paper._ ii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND CONTENTS page WHAT IS THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND? 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 13 6 WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? 43 A large map illustrating the proposed ward boundaries for Bedford and Kempston is inserted inside the back cover of this report. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND iii iv LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND WHAT IS THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND? The Local Government Commission for England is an independent body set up by Parliament. Our task is to review and make recommendations to the Government on whether there should be changes to local authorities’ electoral arrangements. Members of the Commission are: Professor Malcolm Grant (Chairman) Professor Michael Clarke CBE (Deputy Chairman) Peter Brokenshire Kru Desai Pamela Gordon Robin Gray Robert Hughes CBE Barbara Stephens (Chief Executive) We are required by law to review the electoral arrangements of every principal local authority in England. Our aim is to ensure that the number of electors represented by each councillor in an area is as nearly as possible the same, taking into account local circumstances. We can recommend changes to ward boundaries, the number of councillors, ward names and the frequency of elections. We can also recommend changes to the electoral arrangements of parish and town councils. This report sets out the Commission’s final recommendations on the electoral arrangements for the borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND v vi LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND SUMMARY We began a review of Bedford’s electoral arrangements on 25 July 2000. We published our draft recommendations for electoral arrangements on 20 February 2001, after which we undertook a nine- week period of consultation. · This report summarises the representations we received during consultation on our draft recommendations, and contains our final recommendations to the Secretary of State. We found that the existing arrangements provide unequal representation of electors in Bedford: · in 11 of the 27 wards the number of electors represented by each councillor varies by more than 10 per cent from the average for the borough and six wards vary by more than 20 per cent; · by 2005 this situation is expected to deteriorate, with the number of electors per councillor forecast to vary by more than 10 per cent from the average in 18 wards and by more than 20 per cent in 10 wards. Our main final recommendations for future electoral arrangements (see Tables 1 and 2 and paragraphs (170–171) are that: · Bedford Borough Council should have 54 councillors, one more than at present; · there should be 26 wards, one fewer than at present; · the boundaries of 21 of the existing wards should be modified and six wards should retain their existing boundaries; · elections should continue to take place by thirds. The purpose of these proposals is to ensure that, in future, each borough councillor represents approximately the same number of electors, bearing in mind local circumstances. · In 20 of the proposed 26 wards the number of electors per councillor would vary by no more than 10 per cent from the borough average. · This level of electoral equality is expected to improve further, with the number of electors per councillor in 23 wards expected to vary by no more than 10 per cent from the borough average by 2005. Recommendations are also made for changes to parish and town council electoral arrangements which provide for: · revised warding arrangements and the redistribution of councillors for the town of Kempston and the parishes of Eastcotts, Kempston Rural and Renhold; LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND vii · an increase in the number of councillors serving Bromham and Elstow parish councils. All further correspondence on these final recommendations and the matters discussed in this report should be addressed to the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, who will not make an Order implementing them before 18 September 2001: The Secretary of State Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions Local Government Sponsorship Division Eland House Bressenden Place London SW1E 5DU viii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Table 1: Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map councillors reference 1 Brickhill 3 Brickhill ward; De Parys ward (part); Putnoe ward (part) Large map (in Bedford) and Map 2 2 Bromham 3 Unchanged (Biddenham and Bromham parishes) Large map and Map 2 3 Carlton 1 Carlton ward (Carlton & Chellington, Pavenham and Stevington Map 2 parishes); Felmersham ward (part – Felmersham parish) 4 Castle 3 Castle ward (part); Queen’s Park ward (part) Large map (in Bedford) and Map 2 5 Cauldwell 3 Cauldwell ward (part); Kempston East ward (part – East ward of Large map (in Bedford) Kempston Town (part)) 6 Clapham 2 Clapham ward (Clapham parish); Felmersham ward (part – Bletsoe, Map 2 Milton Ernest and Thurleigh parishes) 7 De Parys 2 Newnham ward (part); De Parys ward (part) Large map (in Bedford) and Map 2 8 Eastcotts 1 Eastcotts ward (part – Cardington parish and Rural ward of Large map Eastcotts parish as proposed) and Map 2 9 Goldington 3 Goldington ward (part); De Parys ward (part), Newnham ward Large map (in Bedford) (part); Putnoe ward (part); Renhold ward (part – South West ward and Map 2 of Renhold parish as proposed) 10 Great Barford 2 Eastcotts ward (part – Cople parish); Great Barford ward (Great Map 2 Barford and Willington parishes); Renhold ward (part – Ravensden parish and Renhold North ward of Renhold parish as proposed) 11 Harpur 3 Castle ward (part); De Parys ward (part); Harpur ward Large map (in Bedford) and Map 2 12 Harrold 1 Unchanged (Harrold, Odell, Podington and Wymington parishes) Map 2 13 Kempston East 2 Cauldwell ward (part); Kempston East ward (part – East ward of Large map Kempston Town (part)); Kempston West ward (part – West ward and Map 2 of Kempston Town (part)) 14 Kempston 2 Cauldwell ward (part); Kempston West ward (part – West ward of Large map North Kempston Town (part)) and Map 2 15 Kempston 3 Kempston East ward (part – East ward of Kempston Town (part)); Large map South Kempston West ward (part – West ward of Kempston Town (part)); and Map 2 Kempston Rural ward (part – Hardwick ward of Kempston Rural parish as proposed) 16 Kingsbrook 3 Cauldwell ward (part); Eastcotts ward (part – Urban ward of Large map (in Bedford) Eastcotts parish as proposed); Kingsbrook ward (part) and Map 2 17 Newnham 2 Castle ward (part); Goldington ward (part); Newnham ward (part) Large map (in Bedford) and Map 2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ix Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map councillors reference 18 Oakley 1 Unchanged (Oakley parish) Map 2 19 Putnoe 3 Goldington ward (part); De Parys ward (part); Putnoe ward (part) Large map (in Bedford) and Map 2 20 Queen’s Park 2 Queen’s Park ward (part) Large map (in Bedford) and Map 2 21 Riseley 1 Unchanged (Bolnhurst & Keysoe, Dean & Shelton, Pertenhall, Map 2 Riseley and Swineshead parishes) 22 Roxton 1 Renhold ward (part – Wilden parish); Roxton ward (Colmworth, Map 2 Little Barford, Little Staughton, Roxton and Staploe parishes) 23 Sharnbrook 1 Unchanged (Knotting & Souldrop, Melchbourn & Yielden and Map 2 Sharnbrook parishes) 24 Turvey 1 Kempston Rural ward (part – Rural ward of Kempston Rural parish Large map as proposed, Stagsden and Turvey parishes) and Map 2 25 Wilshamstead 2 Cauldwell ward (part); Wilshamstead ward (Elstow and Large map Wilshamstead parishes) and Map 2 26 Wootton 3 Unchanged (Stewartby and Wootton parishes) Map 2 Notes: 1 Bedford Town is the only unparished part of the borough and comprises the 10 wards indicated above. 2 Map 2 and the large map in the back of the report illustrate the proposed wards outlined above. x LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Table 2: Final Recommendations for Bedford Ward name Number Electorate Number of Variance Electorate Number Variance of (2000) electors from (2005) of electors from councillors per average per average councillor % councillor % 1 Brickhill 3 6,731 2,244 12 6,352 2,117 1 (in Bedford) 2 Bromham 3 5,531 1,844 -8 7,005 2,335 11 3 Carlton 1 2,365 2,365 18 2,252 2,252 7 4 Castle 3 6,152 2,051 2 5,956 1,985 -5 (in Bedford) 5 Cauldwell 3 5,497 1,832 -9 6,305 2,102 0 (in Bedford) 6 Clapham 2 4,121 2,061 3 4,460 2,230 6 7 De Parys 2 4,132 2,066 3 4,415 2,208 5 (in Bedford) 8 Eastcotts 1 1,886 1,886 -6 2,209 2,209 5 9 Goldington 3 6,217 2,072 3 6,110 2,037 -3 (in Bedford) 10 Great Barford 2 4,139 2,070 3 4,211 2,106 0 11 Harpur 3 6,281 2,094 4 6,133 2,044 -3 (in Bedford) 12 Harrold 1 2,129 2,129 6 2,157 2,157 3 13 Kempston East 2 4,325