Local Government Boundary Commission For England Report No,269 LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND REPORT NO. LOCAL COVERNKRNT BOUNDARY COMMISSION TOR ENGLAND CHAIRMAN Sir Edmund Compton GCB KBE. DEPUTY CHAIRMAN Mr J M Rankin GC MEMBERS Lady Bowden Mr J T Brockbank Professor Michael Chisholm Mr R R Thornton CB DL Sir Andrew Wheatley CBE To the Ht lion Merlyn Rees, MP Secretary of State for the Home Department PROPOSAL TOR FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CITY OF CARLISLE III THL COUNTY OK CUMBRIA 1. We, the Local Government Boundary Commission for Knglahd, having carried out our initial review of the electoral arrangements for the City of Carlisle, in accordance with the requirements of section 63 of, and Schedule 9 to, JShe Local Government Act 1972, present our proposals for the future electoral arrangements for that city. 2. In accordance with the procedure laid down in section 60(1) and (2) of the 1972 Act, notice was given on 19 August 197^ that we were to undertake this review. This was incorporated in a consultation letter addressed to the Carlisle City Council, copies of which were circulated to the Cumbria County Council, parish councils and parish meetings in the district, the Members of Parliament for the constituencies concerned and the headquarters of the main political parties. Copies were also Gent 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. The Carlisle City Council were invited to prepare a draft scheme of representa- tion for our consideration. When 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 also asked to take into account any views expressed to them following their consultation with local interests. V/e 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 ?W(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 requesting the Secretary of State to provide for a system of elections by thirds. 5. On 11 February 1975 the Carlisle City Council presented their draft scheme of representation. They proposed to divide the area of the district into 23 wards, each 'returning -from 1 to 3 members -to give a council of 5*K 6. We considered the draft scheme submitted by the Council together with the comments wo had received about it and various alternative proposals which had been submitted. We noted that the Council's draft scheme had caused some local dissatisfaction; we.noted also that it might cause difficulties in providing compatibility with 'future county electoral divisions. We decided therefore to base our draft proposals on one of the alternative schemes, 'bat with a re-grouping of parishes in part-of the"rural area to" accord more nearly with local wishes. We formulated our draft proposals accordingly. 7. On 2 March 197&, we issued our draft proposals and these were sent to all who had received our consultation letter and to those who had made comments. The Council were asked to make these draft proposals, and the accompanying maps which defined the proposed ward boundaries, available for inspection at their main offices. Representations on our draft proposals were invited from those to whom they were circulated and, by public notices, from members of the public and interested bodies. We asked that any comments should reach us by 3 May 1976. 8* We received some support for parts of our draft proposals; but a number of alternative arrangements were suggested in the comments. We considered that we needed further information to enable us to reach a conclusion. Therefore, in accordance with section 65(2) of the 1^72 Act and at our request, Mr J P Aspden,OBE, was appointed d-s Assistant Commissioner to hold a local meeting and report to us* 9. The Assistant Commissioner held the meeting at Carlisle on 25 November 19?6 and thereafter visited the areas which were the subject of dispute* A copy of his report to us is attached at Schedule 1 to this report. 10. The Assistant Commissioner recommended that our draft proposals should be confirmed subject to modifications to the areas of the Stanwix Urban, Belah, ot Aidanc, Denton Holme, Harraby, Botcherby, Currock and Trinity wards. All these wards lie in the urban area of the City. 11. We reviewed our draft proposals in the light of the comments which we had received and of the Assistant Commissioner's report. We noted that the Assistant Commissioner's recommendations would generally improve the standard of representation in the urban area and would meet objections to the breaking of local ties. We concluded that we should accept the modifications which the Assistant Commissioner had recommended. Subject to these modifications, therefore, we hereby confirm our draft proposals as our final proposals. 12. Details of these final proposals are set out in Schedules 2 and 3 to this report and on the attached maps. Schedule 2 gives the names of the wards and the number of councillors to be returned by each. Schedule 3 shows the order of retirement of councillors. The boundaries of the new wards are defined on the attached maps. PUBLICATION 13« In accordance with Section 60(5)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 a copy 'of this report and copies of the maps are being sent to Carlisle City Council and will be available for public inspection at the Council offices at Carlisle. Copies of this report (without maps) are also being sent to those who received the consultation letter and to those who made comments. A detailed description of the boundaries of the proposed wards as defined on the maps is set out in Schedule 4 to this report* L.S. Signed EDMUND COMFTON (CHAIRMAN) JOHN M RANKIN (DHFUTY CHAIRMAN) PHYLLIS BOWDKN J T BROCKBANK MICHAEL CinSHOLM H R THORNTON ANDHEW WHEATLEY N DIGNEY (Secretary) May 1977 } SCHEDULE 1 LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND REPORT OF ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER TO THE COMMISSION REVIEW OF ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS - CITY OF CARLISLE 1. On 2 March 1976 the Commission sent notice of their draft proposals for the future electoral arrangements for the City of Carlisle to the City Council and others. 2. The City Council had submitted a scheme for a 5*t member council but comments received by the Commission had showed that there was considerable local opposition to that scheme and support for a 51 member scheme which had been prepared by the Town Clerk and submitted to the Council for consideration. The Commission had decided to base their draft proposals on the Town Clerk's 51 member scheme, which had been sent to them by the Carlisle Conservative Association together with the Association's own proposals. Some modifications had been suggested in the comments received by the Commission, who made some modifications of their own, some of which followed proposals in the City Council's scheme, the result being that the Commission's draft proposals constituted a hybrid scheme. 3. Publication of the draft proposals resulted in the following comments being made: Comment 1 The City Council objected to the draft proposals, giving detailed criticism of some of the boundaries and resubmitted their original draft scheme. Comment 2 The Carlisle Constituency Labour Party supported the City Council in their objections to the draft proposals and supported the City Council's .1 original scheme and called for a local meeting. Comment 3 . The Conservative and Allied Independent Group on the City Council dissociated themselves from the Council's comments but would like their own suggested modifications re-considered. Comment 4 The Carlisle Conservative Association restated (and ^+~a} their earlier views, amounting mainly to a number of proposed boundary amendments to urban wards. Comment 5 The Cumbria County Council drew attention to the extent of anticipated development in and around certain town wards* Comment 6 The Arthuret Parish Council expressed satisfaction with the draft proposals. 4. Having been appointed an Assistant Commissioner by the Secretary of State for the Home Department,Pat the request of the Commission, for the purpose I held a local meeting at the Civic Centre, Carlisle, on 25 November 1976, at 10.JO am to hear representations on the draft proposals of the Commission and to discuss alternative arrangements variously proposed and affecting the district as a whole. 5. Attached at Annex A is a list of names and addresses of those attending and the interests they represented. 6. The Town Clerk" (Mr W Hirst) stated that he had not been instructed by the City Council to make any representations at the meeting. 7* Representations concerning the draft proposals (a) URBAN AREA (i) Opposing the draft proposals, Mr 1 Stockdale, a member of the City Council Labour Group, other members of that Group, Labour Party members of the Cumbria County Council and members of the Carlisle and the Penrith and the Border Constituency Labour Parties made the following points: Generally The draft proposals appeared to have been formulated upon an unfortunate assumption that 12 wards should be the norm for the urban area as there were 12 county council members for that area. At present the 10 wards in the urban area produced serious community and boundary anomalies, but Mr Stockdale hoped to demonstrate that the urban area into 12 would not go.