Draft recommendations on the new electoral arrangements for

Electoral review

December 2018

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Contents

Introduction 1 Who we are and what we do 1 What is an electoral review? 1 Why Halton? 2 Our proposals for Halton 2 How will the recommendations affect you? 2 Have your say 3 Review timetable 3 Analysis and draft recommendations 5 Submissions received 5 Electorate figures 5 Number of councillors 6 Ward boundaries consultation 7 Draft recommendations 8 central 10 Runcorn east 12 Runcorn west 15 east 17 Widnes north 19 Widnes west 21 Conclusions 23 Summary of electoral arrangements 23 Have your say 25 Equalities 27 Appendices 28 Appendix A 28 Draft recommendations for Halton Borough Council 28 Appendix B 30 Outline map 30 Appendix C 31 Submissions received 31 Appendix D 32 Glossary and abbreviations 32

Introduction Who we are and what we do

1 The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is an independent body set up by Parliament.1 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.

2 The members of the Commission are:

• Professor Colin Mellors OBE • Steve Robinson (Chair) • Andrew Scallan CBE • Susan Johnson OBE ______• Peter Maddison QPM • Jolyon Jackson CBE • Amanda Nobbs OBE (Chief Executive)

What is an electoral review?

3 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 there should be, where their boundaries are and what they should be called. • How many councillors should represent each ward or division.

4 When carrying out an electoral review the Commission has three main considerations:

• Improving electoral equality by equalising the number of electors that each councillor represents. • Ensuring that the recommendations reflect community identity. • Providing arrangements that support effective and convenient local government.

5 Our task is to strike the best balance between these three considerations when making our recommendations.

1 Under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. 1

6 More detail regarding the powers that we have, as well as the further guidance and information about electoral reviews and review process in general, can be found on our website at www.lgbce.org.uk

Why Halton?

7 We are conducting a review of Halton Borough Council (‘the Council’) as the value of each vote in borough council elections varies depending on where you live in Halton. Some councillors currently represent many more or fewer voters than others. This is ‘electoral inequality’. Our aim is to create ‘electoral equality’, where votes are as equal as possible, ideally within 10% of being exactly equal.

8 This electoral review is being carried out to ensure that:

• The wards in Halton are in the best possible places to help the Council carry out its responsibilities effectively. • The number of voters represented by each councillor is approximately the same across the borough.

Our proposals for Halton

9 Halton should be represented by 54 councillors, two fewer than there are now.

10 Halton should have 18 wards, three fewer than there are now.

11 The boundaries of all wards should change; none will stay the same.

How will the recommendations affect you?

12 The recommendations will determine how many councillors will serve on the Council. They will also decide which ward you vote in and which other communities are in that ward. Your ward name may also change.

13 Our recommendations cannot affect the external boundaries of the borough or result in changes to postcodes. They do not take into account parliamentary constituency boundaries. The recommendations will not have an effect on local taxes, house prices, or car and house insurance premiums and we are not able to consider any representations which are based on these issues.

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Have your say 14 We are consulting on our recommendations for a 10-week period, beginning on 4 December 2018 and ending on 11 February 2019. We encourage everyone to use this opportunity to comment on these proposed wards as the more public views we hear, the more informed our decisions will be in making our final recommendations.

15 We ask everyone wishing to contribute ideas for the new wards to first read this report and look at the accompanying map before responding to us.

16 You have until 11 February 2019 to have your say on the draft recommendations. See page 25 for how to send us your response.

Review timetable 17 We wrote to the Council to ask its views on the appropriate number of councillors for Halton. We then held a period of consultation with the public on warding patterns for the borough. The submissions received during consultation have informed our draft recommendations.

18 The review is being conducted as follows:

Stage starts Description

19 June 2018 Number of councillors decided 26 June 2018 Start of consultation seeking views on new wards End of consultation; we begin analysing submissions and 3 September 2018 forming draft recommendations Publication of draft recommendations; start of second 4 December 2018 consultation End of consultation; we begin analysing submissions and 11 February 2019 forming final recommendations 26 March 2019 Publication of final recommendations

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Analysis and draft recommendations

19 Legislation2 states that our recommendations should not be based only on how many electors3 there are now, but also on how many there are likely to be in the five years after the publication of our final recommendations. We must also try to recommend strong, clearly identifiable boundaries for our wards.

20 In reality, we are unlikely to be able to create wards with exactly the same number of electors in each; we have to be flexible. However, we try to keep the number of electors represented by each councillor as close to the average for the council as possible.

21 We work out the average number of electors per councillor for each individual local authority by dividing the electorate by the number of councillors, as shown on the table below.

2018 2024 Electorate of Halton 96,542 100,292 Number of councillors 54 54 Average number of electors per 1,788 1,857 councillor

22 When the number of electors per councillor in a ward is within 10% of the average for the authority, we refer to the ward as having ‘good electoral equality’. Seventeen of our proposed wards for Halton will have good electoral equality by 2024.

Submissions received 23 See Appendix C for details of the submissions received. All submissions may be viewed at our offices by appointment, or on our website at www.lgbce.org.uk

Electorate figures 24 This electoral review is being carried out because the housing development in Farnworth ward has outstripped development elsewhere in the borough. Consequently, electors in Farnworth ward are severely under-represented. Farnworth’s councillors represent 37% more electors than the average in the borough. When we visited Halton, we saw for ourselves the amount of new housing which has led to this situation.

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

25 The Council submitted electorate forecasts for 2024, a period five years on from the scheduled publication of our final recommendations in 2019. These forecasts were broken down to polling district level and predicted an increase in the electorate of around 4% by 2024. Much of this expected change in the electorate will come as a result of further housing development, especially in the and areas.

26 We considered the information provided by the Council and are satisfied that the projected figures are the best available at the present time. We have used these figures to produce our draft recommendations.

Number of councillors

27 Halton Borough Council currently has 56 councillors. We have looked at evidence provided by the Council and have concluded that reducing this number by two will ensure the Council can carry out its roles and responsibilities effectively.

28 We therefore invited proposals for new patterns of wards that would be represented by 54 councillors.

29 As Halton Borough Council elects by thirds (meaning it has elections in three out of every four years) there is a presumption in legislation4 that the Council have a uniform pattern of three-councillor wards. We will only move away from this pattern of wards should we receive compelling evidence during consultation that an alternative pattern of wards will better reflect our statutory criteria.

30 We received four proposals for alternative numbers of councillors in response to our consultation on ward patterns. The Council proposed that Halton should be represented by 55 councillors. The Council justified this slight change in light of its electorate forecasts which anticipated around 3,900 more electors in the Runcorn area than the Widnes area by 2024. The Council’s proposal was supported by a number of borough councillors, by the Members of Parliament for Halton and Weaver Vale constituencies, the respective constituency Labour parties and by two local residents.

31 We note that, under a council size of 54, an allocation of 27 councillors either side of the would result in 4% fewer electors per councillor north of the river and 4% more than the average to the south. We do not consider this difference warrants either an increase in the total number of councillors initially proposed by the Council, or a deviation from a uniform pattern of three-councillor wards which would be required under a council size of 55.

4 Schedule 2 to the Local Democracy, Economic Development & Construction Act 2009 paragraph 2(3)(d) and paragraph 2(5)(c). 6

32 One resident proposed that Halton should be represented by a total of 18 councillors, whilst another proposed a total of 16. Neither submission commented on how the Council would organise its structure or how such a small number of councillors would effectively represent local people. A third local resident proposed that existing ward boundaries be retained, but that the number of councillors for wards currently represented by two or three be reduced. We do not consider that this proposal would either provide a council with sufficient capacity to deal with its responsibilities or resolve concerns about electoral inequality. Given this, we have therefore based our draft recommendations on a 54-member council.

Ward boundaries consultation

33 We received 52 submissions to our consultation on ward boundaries. These included a borough-wide proposal from the Council. This was supported in whole or in part by 10 borough councillors, Mike Amesbury MP (Weaver Vale), Derek Twigg MP (Halton), Halton Constituency Labour Party, Weaver Vale Constituency Labour Party and by four local residents.

34 Halton Liberal Democrats (‘the Liberal Democrats’) and one resident made proposals for the area south of the Mersey: Runcorn and the four parishes of Daresbury, Moore, and Sandymoor. The remainder of the submissions provided localised comments for warding arrangements in particular areas of the borough.

35 A number of local residents made comments which related to the external boundaries of Halton and its neighbouring councils. We are unable, as part of this electoral review, to make recommendations to the external boundary of the borough and are therefore unable to take into consideration these submissions.

36 One resident argued that we should not provide wards which span the River Mersey, that we should disregard electoral inequality, and that we should retain current ward names. We agree that wards should not cross the Mersey, but do not agree that we should disregard electoral inequality. We have recommended ward names having regard to the geography of our proposed wards and the evidence submitted to us during consultation.

37 The Council’s borough-wide scheme proposed a mixed pattern of one single- councillor ward and 18 three-councillor wards, making a total of 55 councillors for Halton. The Council argued that we should make provision for 27 councillors in wards to the north of the River Mersey and 28 councillors in wards to the south of the river. This extra provision should be made, the Council argued, because its electorate forecasts anticipate around 3,900 more electors in the Runcorn area than the Widnes area by 2024. As stated earlier, we are not persuaded that this difference

7 in electorate either side of the river justifies a change to our proposed council size of 54.

38 When checking the electoral data which the Council provided, we found some discrepancies between the electoral register, which is arranged into polling districts, and the mapping of those polling districts. We therefore carefully checked the Council’s proposals against the electoral information which the Council had provided. The Council had anticipated that their proposals would result in three wards having electoral variances of 11% by 2024. We found that in two of those wards, the variance at the end of the forecast period would be lower than 10%. In the proposed Bridgewater ward, however, the variance would be 19% by 2024. In the Council’s proposed Riverside, Town & St Michael’s ward the variance in 2024 would be -14%, not 8% as indicated to us. Our recommendations are based on our detailed analysis of the baseline electoral register, polling district mapping, and the scale and distribution of anticipated housing development.

39 Our draft recommendations for Widnes are based on the Council’s proposals. We have taken into consideration parish boundaries on both sides of the River Mersey. In Runcorn and the parishes to its east, we have based our recommendations on the Liberal Democrats’ proposals, given our decision not to recommend a council size of 55, noting that there are many similarities between the Council’s proposals and those made by the Liberal Democrats for central and east Runcorn. In making our draft recommendations for the whole of the borough, we have modified the schemes put to us on the basis of community evidence submitted to us by other respondents to our consultation, the observations we have made when visiting the area and our endeavour to provide good electoral equality.

40 Our draft recommendations also take into account local evidence that we received, which provided further evidence of community links and locally recognised boundaries. In some areas we considered that the proposals did not provide for the best balance between our statutory criteria and so we identified alternative boundaries.

41 We visited the area in order to look at the various different proposals on the ground. This tour of Halton helped us to decide between the different boundaries proposed. Draft recommendations 42 Our draft recommendations are for 18 three-councillor wards. We consider that our draft recommendations will generally provide for good electoral equality while reflecting community identities and interests where we received such evidence during consultation.

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43 The tables and maps on pages 10–22 detail our draft recommendations for each area of Halton. They detail how the proposed warding arrangements reflect the three statutory5 criteria of:

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

44 A summary of our proposed new wards is set out in Appendix A starting on page 29 and on the large map accompanying this report.

45 We welcome all comments on these draft recommendations, particularly on the location of the ward boundaries, and the names of our proposed wards.

5 Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009. 9

Runcorn central

Number of Ward name Variance 2024 councillors Bridgewater 3 5% Grange 3 8% & Windmill Hill 3 3% Halton Lea 3 -5%

Bridgewater 46 The Council proposed a three-councillor Bridgewater ward which would extend from the new development next to the Ship Canal at The Decks to the large roundabout next to ShoppingCity on Central Expressway. This proposal was supported by local political representatives and one local resident. We noted that a large number of residents of this area are included in the electoral register for polling district KA, which also covers Church Street and High Street, but that this was not

10 reflected in the mapping provided to us. This may account for our calculation that the Council’s proposed ward would have an electoral variance of 19% by 2024.

47 The Liberal Democrats’ Bridgewater ward differed from the Council’s proposal by excluding Halton Brook and by including the Langdale Road area to the west of the Town Hall. We consider that the Halton Brook area is better related to Bridgewater than to the Grange area, whilst Boston Avenue and Festival Way connect Langdale Road to Grange.

48 While we recognise that the Council’s proposed Bridgewater ward has some merit, we are not prepared to recommend the high level of electoral inequality that would result. We have addressed this by including the south-eastern part of the Halton Brook estate in our Grange ward. The northern part of our Bridgewater ward extends to the Central Expressway as it leads to the . We would particularly welcome comments on our recommendations for this area.

Grange, Halton Castle & Windmill Hill and Halton Lea 49 The Council proposed a Grange ward which would extend into Higher Runcorn, including properties on the western side of the railway line, around Heath Road South and Moughland Lane. One local resident proposed that the ward include a larger part of Heath, along Clifton Road. We noted that the ward would exclude the area between the Central Expressway, Weston Link roads and Halton Lodge School, which we consider would be better included in Grange ward rather than Halton Lea ward as proposed by the Council and the Liberal Democrats. We therefore propose to include that area in Grange ward, maintaining the railway line as a ward boundary. This would contribute to a pattern of wards which gives a consistent level of electoral equality across this part of Runcorn.

50 The Council’s proposed Halton Castle & Windmill Hill ward would largely be a combination of existing wards, excluding The Brow. The Liberal Democrats proposed a broadly similar ward. One resident proposed that the current Halton Castle ward be split into two. However, this would neither provide for good electoral equality nor reflect our presumption in favour of three-councillor wards. Our recommendation is based on the Liberal Democrats’ Halton Castle & Windmill Hill ward which places most of Main Street in Halton Lea ward. We also propose that the expressway leading to the Mersey Gateway Bridge forms the western boundary of the ward.

51 The Council’s and Liberal Democrats’ Halton Lea ward, with ShoppingCity at its centre, would combine The Brow, Hallwood Park, part of Palace Fields and the area between the Central Expressway, Weston Link roads and Halton Lodge School. We propose to modify this by making the Central and Sothern expressways the boundaries of Halton Lea ward. We also propose to include the part of Palace Fields which lies between the busway and the Southern Expressway. This includes the hospital and The Glen.

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Runcorn east

Number of Ward name Variance 2024 councillors Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor 3 12% Norton 3 4% Preston Brook & Vale 3 -8%

Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor 52 This area is composed of Daresbury, Moore and Sandymoor parishes. The Council proposed a three-councillor Sandymoor ward composed of Moore and Sandymoor, and a single-councillor ward covering Daresbury parish. The Liberal Democrats proposed a ward combining these areas in a three-councillor ward, a proposal inferred by a parish councillor. Moore Parish Council proposed that the boundaries of the existing Daresbury ward be retained but that the ward be represented by three councillors. One resident proposed that Sandymoor parish be either a borough ward on its own or be combined with the Runcorn area of Windmill

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Hill. Another resident asked us to not place Daresbury and Windmill Hill in the same ward.

53 We note that this area is expected to be one in which a large amount of new housing is expected in the coming five-year period and that the electorate in the area is expected to increase by approximately 3,000, an increase of almost 90% by 2024. This is largely the product of development yet to occur in Sandymoor and Daresbury, between the and the A56.

54 We do not consider that Sandymoor or Daresbury parish should be added to Windmill Hill in Runcorn as either step would result in a high degree of electoral inequality and we consider it desirable to recommend a ward which makes appropriate provision for Moore parish. We also note that the maintenance of the current boundaries of Daresbury ward would lead to it being severely under- represented by 2024 with an electoral variance of 25%.

55 This leaves the question of whether the area should be represented by four councillors, as proposed by the Council, or by three, as proposed by the Liberal Democrats and in accordance with our presumption that the borough should be represented in three-councillor wards. We do not consider that the Council has presented evidence that would lead us to depart from a pattern of three-councillor wards in this area.

56 We therefore recommend a three-councillor Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor ward. We note that the ward would be substantially over-represented on current electorate figures with a variance of -38%. Separating Daresbury from our proposed ward would increase the current variance to -42%. By 2024, if all the expected development has occurred, then the ward would be under-represented, having a variance of 12%. This is a higher level of electoral inequality than we would normally recommend; our normal degree of tolerance being 10%. However, we consider that the resulting variance is preferable to the division of Daresbury parish between wards or its inclusion in a ward with the Brookvale area. Furthermore, we consider that including all the expected new development in these parishes with the areas of recent development in a single ward will help to foster the identity of, and service to, an emerging community.

Norton and Preston Brook & Vale 57 The Council proposed a single-councillor ward comprising the parishes of Daresbury and Preston Brook and a retention of the current Norton North ward. The Liberal Democrats proposed a three-councillor ward comprising Preston Brook parish and Runcorn North ward. Both the Council and Liberal Democrats proposed an expanded Norton South ward which would include a large part of Palace Fields.

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58 We have explained in paragraph 29, our unwillingness to recommend a single- councillor ward in the absence of compelling reasons to do so. In considering the Liberal Democrats’ proposed Runcorn East ward, we found no evidence to persuade us that Preston Brook parish should be combined with Norton North ward. We note that the principal access between Preston Brook and Norton North would be via the large roundabout at the end of the Southern Expressway, but that this route more readily gives access to the areas of Brookvale and the Murdishaw Avenue. We consider these areas to be more readily accessible to and from Preston Brook and therefore propose to combine Preston Brook and Brookvale in a three-councillor Preston Brook & Vale ward.

59 As our draft recommendations for these wards are not based on any proposal we received during consultation, we would particularly welcome comments about their names and boundaries.

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Runcorn west

Number of Ward name Variance 2024 councillors Old Town & Weston Point 3 8% South Runcorn 3 8%

Old Town & Weston Point and South Runcorn 60 The Council and the Liberal Democrats took different approaches to providing wards for Weston Village and Weston Point. The Council proposed that Weston Point be combined with the Beechwood area, a proposal echoed by a local resident. The Liberal Democrats proposed a ward which would include Weston Point with Weston Village and the older part of Runcorn. Two local residents supported aspects of this approach.

61 When we visited this area to consider the merits of the different proposals, we were not satisfied that Weston Point should be separated from Weston Village or that either area would naturally sit in a ward with Beechwood. We considered that Clifton Road would provide an appropriate spine to a ward which links Heath with Beechwood, as suggested by two local residents.

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62 We therefore propose an Old Town & Weston Point ward, the name having been suggested to us, and a South Runcorn ward. These wards would have good electoral equality by 2024, having regard to expected housing development.

63 In addition to comments on the boundaries of these wards, we would particularly welcome comments about the ward names we propose.

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Widnes east

Number of Ward name Variance 2024 councillors Appleton Chadwick 3 -9% Halton View 3 -5%

Appleton Chadwick and Halton View 64 The Council provided the only detailed proposal for the whole of this area. One local resident opposed the Council’s proposed inclusion of Deirdre Avenue in Kingsway Heath ward, preferring it be included in Appleton Chadwick ward.

65 The Council’s proposed Halton View ward would include the recent housing development at St Wilfred’s Road, to the north of the railway line. We visited this area and concluded that it is likely to relate better to the community living along the northern part of Barrow’s Green Lane and at Cedardale Park rather than to Halton View. Whilst the railway line does not present a formidable barrier, it does represent

17 a strong and clear distinction between areas. We therefore recommend a Halton View ward which differs from the Council’s proposal only by the exclusion of the area to the north of the railway line.

66 The Council similarly proposed to cross the railway line with its Appleton Chadwick ward, including Factory Lane, Chadwick Lane and housing on Woodford Drive, which was under construction at the time of our visit. These areas, lying to the north of the railway line, are not immediately accessible to the remainder of the Council’s proposed ward, any connection being principally via Derby Road and Peel House Lane.

67 We are not persuaded that Appleton Chadwick ward should cross the railway line. Again, the railway forms a distinctive boundary and, even more than at Halton View, is a constraint on access between areas. We therefore propose an Appleton Chadwick ward with the railway as its northern boundary.

68 Our decision on the northern boundary of Appleton Chadwick ward means that, in order to provide for electoral equality, we must further depart from the Council’s proposal. We consider that the Dickson Street area, including Dierdre Avenue, should be included in Appleton Chadwick ward and not Kingsway Heath ward as proposed by the Council. We visited this area on our tour of the borough and concluded that it is likely to relate better to Appleton Chadwick than to the area on the opposite side of the dual carriageway.

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Widnes north

Number of Ward name Variance 2024 councillors Birchfield 3 6% Farnworth 3 8% 3 -2%

Birchfield, Farnworth and Hough Green 69 One local resident, perhaps mindful of the scale of housing development which has taken place in recent years, asked that Farnworth be allocated an appropriate number of councillors. This objective is one of the principal reasons why we are conducting this electoral review. The Council, with support from local political representatives, submitted the only detailed warding scheme we received for this area.

70 As described in paragraphs 65–6, one feature of the Council’s proposal was to exclude from Farnworth ward two areas which lie to the north of the railway line. On our visit to the area we considered whether this aspect of the Council’s proposal would reflect community identities in this part of Widnes. We have concluded that the railway line should mark a clear boundary between Birchfield, Farnworth and Hough Green wards and the part of Widnes which lies to the south.

71 As a consequence of this decision, in order to provide good electoral equality, we must make further modifications to the Council’s proposal. We propose that housing on both sides of Norland’s Lane be included in Birchfield ward. We consider that residents both sides of Norland’s Lane are unlikely to regard the lane as a

19 boundary between communities. We also propose to add Heathfield Park and Poleacre Drive to Hough Green ward. These roads are connected to Hough Green by Queensbury Way and Hough Green Road in an area where housing is situated on cul-de-sacs which are connected by these local spine roads.

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Widnes west

Number of Ward name Variance 2024 councillors Bankfield 3 -8% Ditton, Hale Village & 3 -7% Kingsway Heath 3 -9% Riverside & Town 3 -9%

Bankfield, Ditton, Hale Village & Halebank, Kingsway Heath and Riverside & Town 72 The Borough Council proposed a three-councillor Ditton, Hale Village & Hale Bank ward. Hale Parish Council proposed a single-councillor ward combining its area with the southern part of Halebank parish. Meanwhile, Halebank Parish Council proposed that the two parishes be represented in a single-councillor ward. This was supported by a local resident.

73 Whilst we recognise that Hale has a character and identity which is distinct from the more urban Widnes area, the parish councils’ proposals raise a number of

21 concerns for us. Hale Parish Council’s proposal would result in a -16% electoral variance by 2024. In Halebank Parish Council’s proposal, the variance would be 57%. Furthermore, a two-councillor ward for this area would result in a -22% variance. We are not prepared to recommend such high levels of electoral inequality. Were we to do so, there would also be high electoral variances in Ditton as a consequence.

74 Hale Parish Council’s proposal would add a small part of Halebank parish, containing around 30 electors, to its own area in a single-councillor ward. Because legislation requires that we create a parish ward for each part of a parish divided by a borough council ward, this would mean a Halebank parish ward with very few electors. We do not consider a parish ward of 30 electors will provide effective and convenient local government.

75 The parish councils’ proposals would also result in single-councillor wards. As stated earlier, given Halton’s electoral cycle, we are required to recommend a uniform pattern of three-member wards for the borough unless we receive compelling evidence to the contrary. We are not persuaded that such evidence has been received in this case.

76 We next must consider where ward boundaries in the urban area of Widnes should lie. In examining the Borough Council’s proposal we noted that whilst it calculated that its proposed Riverside, Town & St Michael’s ward would have an electoral variance of 8% by 2024, we have found that the variance would be -14% in the Council’s scheme and -16% under our proposal for a council of 54 members.

77 When we toured the area, we considered that western parts of Dundalk Road and the St Michael’s Road/Montgomery Road area do not appear to share close community ties with the town centre but that the housing around and to the north of Halton Stadium appears to be much more closely related to it. We also considered that Leigh Avenue separates distinct housing areas.

78 We consider that the local shops at the junction of Ditchfield Road and Hale Road and the nearby school indicate the centre of a community rather than the edge of two communities as suggested by the Council’s proposed boundary. We therefore propose that the ‘Ditton’ element of Ditton, Hale Village & Halebank ward be centred on this local centre. We also propose to add the Oakfield Drive area to Bankfield ward, and the Radnor Drive and the Crossway areas to our proposed Kingsway Heath ward to ensure good electoral equality.

79 We propose that the ward, which includes the town centre, is named Riverside & Town. We would particularly welcome comments about the ward names we suggest for the central and western parts of Widnes, given our modifications to the Council’s proposed wards.

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Conclusions

80 The table below provides a summary as to the impact of our draft recommendations on electoral equality in Halton, referencing the 2018 and 2024 electorate figures. A full list of wards, names and their corresponding electoral variances can be found at Appendix A to the back of this report. An outline map of the wards is provided at Appendix B.

Summary of electoral arrangements

Draft recommendations

2018 2024 Number of councillors 54 54 Number of electoral wards 18 18 Average number of electors per councillor 1,788 1,857 Number of wards with a variance more than 10% 6 1 from the average Number of wards with a variance more than 20% 1 0 from the average

Draft recommendations Halton Borough Council should be made up of 54 councillors serving 18 three- councillor wards. The details and names are shown in Appendix A and illustrated on the large map accompanying this report.

Mapping Sheet 1, Map 1 shows the proposed wards for Halton Borough Council. You can also view our draft recommendations for Halton Borough Council on our interactive maps at www.consultation.lgbce.org.uk

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Have your say

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

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

83 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

84 Submissions can also be made by emailing [email protected] or by writing to:

Review Officer (Halton) The Local Government Boundary Commission for England 1st Floor, Windsor House 50 Victoria Street London SW1H 0TL

85 The Commission aims to propose a pattern of wards for Halton Borough Council 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.

86 A good pattern of wards 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.

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87 Electoral equality:

• Does your proposal mean that councillors would represent roughly the same number of voters as elsewhere in Halton?

88 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?

89 Effective and convenient local government:

• Are any of the proposed wards too large or small to be represented effectively? • Are the proposed names of the wards appropriate? • Are there good links across your proposed wards? Is there any form of public transport?

90 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 and on our website at www.lgbce.org.uk

91 If you are a member of the public and not writing on behalf of a council or organisation we will remove any personal identifiers. This includes your name, 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.

92 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.

93 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

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Order will provide for new electoral arrangements to be implemented at the all-out elections for Halton Borough Council in 2020.

Equalities 94 The Commission has looked at how it carries out reviews under the guidelines set out in Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. It has made best endeavours to ensure that people with protected characteristics can participate in the review process and is sufficiently satisfied that no adverse equality impacts will arise as a result of the outcome of the review.

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Appendices Appendix A Draft recommendations for Halton Borough Council

Number of Variance Number of Variance Number of Electorate Electorate Ward name electors per from average electors per from councillors (2018) (2024) councillor % councillor average % Appleton 1 3 4,901 1,634 -9% 5,063 1,688 -9% Chadwick

2 Bankfield 3 5,280 1,760 -2% 5,121 1,707 -8%

3 Birchfield 3 6,045 2,015 13% 5,880 1,960 6%

4 Bridgewater 3 5,491 1,830 2% 5,858 1,953 5%

Daresbury, Moore 5 3 3,334 1,111 -38% 6,238 2,079 12% & Sandymoor

Ditton, Hale 6 Village & 3 5,265 1,755 -2% 5,177 1,726 -7% Halebank

7 Farnworth 3 6,034 2,011 13% 6,031 2,010 8%

8 Grange 3 6,216 2,072 16% 6,012 2,004 8%

Halton Castle & 9 3 5,541 1,847 3% 5,744 1,915 3% Windmill Hill

10 Halton Lea 3 4,527 1,509 -16% 5,290 1,763 -5%

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Number of Variance Number of Variance Number of Electorate Electorate Ward name electors per from average electors per from councillors (2018) (2024) councillor % councillor average % 11 Halton View 3 5,339 1,780 0% 5,270 1,757 -5%

12 Hough Green 3 5,581 1,860 4% 5,454 1,818 -2%

13 Kingsway Heath 3 5,225 1,742 -3% 5,083 1,694 -9%

14 Norton 3 5,673 1,891 6% 5,795 1,932 4%

Old Town & 15 3 5,752 1,917 7% 6,020 2,007 8% Weston Point

Preston Brook & 16 3 5,239 1,746 -2% 5,138 1,713 -8% Vale

17 Riverside & Town 3 4,983 1,661 -7% 5,075 1,692 -9%

18 South Runcorn 3 6,116 2,039 14% 6,043 2,014 8%

Totals 54 96,542 100,292 – –

Averages – – 1,788 – – 1,857 –

Source: Electorate figures are based on information provided by Halton Borough 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 borough. The minus symbol (-) denotes a lower than average number of electors. Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

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Appendix B

Outline map

Number Ward name Number Ward name 1 Appleton Chadwick 10 Halton Lea 2 Bankfield 11 Halton View 3 Birchfield 12 Hough Green 4 Bridgewater 13 Kingsway Heath Daresbury, Moore & 5 14 Norton Sandymoor Ditton, Hale Village & 6 15 Old Town & Weston Point Halebank 7 Farnworth 16 Preston Brook & Vale 8 Grange 17 Riverside & Town 9 Halton Castle & Windmill Hill 18 South Runcorn

A more detailed version of this map can be seen on the large map accompanying this report, or on our website: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/north- west/cheshire/halton

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Appendix C Submissions received All submissions received can also be viewed on our website at: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/north-west/cheshire/halton

Local Authority

• Halton Borough Council

Political Groups

• Halton Constituency Labour Party • Halton Liberal Democrats • Weaver Vale Constituency Labour Party

Councillors

• Councillor D. Cargill (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor E. Cargill (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor M. Dennett (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor P. Hignett (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor R. Hignett (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor R. Leck (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor A. Lowe (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor J. Lowe (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor S. Nelson (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor N. Plumpton Walsh (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor J. Stockton (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor D. Thompson (Halton Borough Council) • Councillor T. Willett (Sandymoor Parish Council)

Members of Parliament

• Mike Amesbury MP (Weaver Vale) • Derek Twigg MP (Halton)

Parish Councils

• Hale Parish Council • Halebank Parish Council • Moore Parish Council

Local Residents

• 30 local residents

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Appendix D 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

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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 any arrangements 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

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