Electoral review October 2012

Final recommendations on the new electoral arrangements for Summary & Malling Borough Council

Who we are: Council size Electoral arrangements The Local Government The Commission recommends Our draft recommendations Boundary Commission for that Tonbridge & Malling Borough propose that Tonbridge & is an independent Council should be represented by Malling’s 54 councillors should body which conducts 54 borough councillors in future: represent seven three-member electoral reviews of local one more than under the current wards, 16 two-member wards and authority areas. arrangements. one single-member ward across the borough. As a result of changes to the five- year electorate forecasts for the The Commission believes its Electoral reviews: borough during the review, the recommendations meet its Commission is persuaded that 54 obligations - which are set out in The purpose of an electoral councillors would provide a better law - to: review is to decide on the distribution of elected members in appropriate electoral all parts of the borough. ■ Deliver electoral equality for voters. arrangements – the number The Commission also considers of councillors, the names, that a council size of 54 members ■ Reflect local community number and boundaries of will ensure that the council can interests and identities. wards – for a local authority. discharge its roles and responsibilities effectively and will ■ Promote effective and provide for a pattern of wards that convenient local government. reflects community identities Why Tonbridge & Malling? across Tonbridge & Malling. We are conducting an electoral review of Tonbridge You can read the full report and view the maps on our website at & Malling Borough Council www.lgbce.org.uk and consultation.lgbce.org.uk. to deliver improved levels of We will also make them available in council buildings and libraries. electoral equality for local voters. Stage starts Description 17 January 2012 Submission of proposals for ward Tonbridge & Malling patterns to the Commission by currently has high levels of Borough Council electoral inequality so that the value of your vote - in 2 February 2012 Commission’s formulation of draft recommendations borough council elections - varies depending on where 17 April 2012 Publication of draft you live in the Tonbridge & recommendations and Malling. consultation on them 25 June 2012 Analysis of submissions received and formulation of final recommendations Submissions received member wards called: Downs & The Commission was also The Commission received 78 Mereworth, and persuaded by evidence that the representations in response to , Igtham & Stansted. boundary between East Malling our consultation on draft The Commission was persuaded and Larkfield South wards should recommendations. by evidence presented to us that follow the backs of the properties the area should on the south side of London All submissions can be viewed at Road. www.lgbce.org.uk. form a single-member ward and we are now recommending that We also propose that the parish General analysis arrangement. of Ditton should be wholly contained in a two-member Ditton During consultation on draft As a result, we are able to ensure ward where the boundary is recommendations, we received that the parish of Addington is not coterminous with the parish. evidence relating to divided between wards and can developments at Peter’s Village be wholly contained within the We were also persuaded by and Preston Hall. We were Downs & Mereworth ward. community evidence presented to persuaded that we should take As a result of feedback received us that the area of Robson Drive into account likely increases in during consultation, we are also should form part of the electorate in these areas proposing to alter our proposals South ward in order to reflect expected within five years. for parish which we had local identities in that part of the borough. As such, we believe that a council previously proposed to divide size of 54 councillors would between wards. Our final The submissions presented to us deliver a good distribution of recommendations propose to during consultation as well as the elected members across the include the parish in Downs & additional councillor we propose borough. Mereworth ward except for a for Tonbridge & Malling also small number of properties north persuaded the Commission that Tonbridge of London Road which would be the area of Eccles should form The Commission’s final included in the & part of the Aylesford North & recommendations for the greater ward so that there is ward. Tonbridge area propose six two- good internal access to the member wards called: Cage Leybourne Grange development What happens next? Green, Castle, Higham, Judd, within that ward. We have now completed our Trench and Vauxhall. We also review of electoral arrangements North East Tonbridge & Malling propose a three-member ward of Tonbridge & Malling Borough Our final recommendations for called Medway. Council. north east Tonbridge & Malling The Commission has altered its are for the two-member wards The changes we have proposed draft recommendations for the called: Aylesford South, must now be approved by boundary between our proposed & , Ditton, East Parliament. A draft order – the Judd and Castle wards. We were Malling, Larkfield North, Larkfield legal document which brings into persuaded that the area around South and East & Ham force our recommendations – will Portman Park should be included Hill, and four three-member wards be laid in Parliament. Subject to in Castle ward and not Medway called Aylesford North & Parliamentary scrutiny, the new ward as we had previously Walderslade, , Snodland electoral arrangements will come proposed. West & Holborough Lakes, and into force at the borough council Central Tonbridge & Malling West Malling & Leybourne. elections in 2015. Our recommendations for this We visited the area of Snodland The full report is available at part of the borough are for two and noted the local transport links www.lgbce.org.uk. We also three-member wards called: which mean we are now able to recommend visiting & Long Mill and recommend a pattern of wards in consultation.lgbce.org.uk to & . We this area that are based on the view detailed online maps of our also propose a single-member proposals put to us by Tonbridge proposals. Wateringbury ward and three two- & Malling Borough Council.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is an independent body set up by Parliament in April 2010. It is independent of government and political parties, and is directly accountable to Parliament through a committee chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons. It is responsible for conducting boundary, electoral and structural reviews of local government areas