Ward, Lucy

From: Clare Salmon < Sent: 03 January 2014 18:57 To: Reviews@; Ward, Lucy Subject: Comments District Council- North/South Attachments: petition 3_tiff; petition 4_tiff; petition 5_tiff; petition 6_tiff; petition7_tiff

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Comments - Newark and Sherwood boundary report

I refer to the proposed Rainworth North/Rainworth South wards within Newark and Sherwood District.

I Strongly oppose the proposals.

I am the chairperson of Ranworth Skatepark Association, we are a community group which has been campaigning for the last two years for more play facilities in Rainworth. I am also a resident of Rainworth village.

Rainworth sits in between Newark and Sherwood and district council therefore is already split into two. This causes a divide and makes life for community groups harder, as we already have two district councils and two County councillors to commutate with.

At present Rainworth has 3 district councillors all living in Rainworth. Residents and groups can go to for advice on district level, I can understand the need to lose one of those district councillors in Rainworth ward as i agree this would make the district council more cost effective.

But on the 12th December I stumbled upon this boundary commission report and was totally amazed that Rainworth is going to be split again when it has the perfect electorate figures for a two member ward. So that's when I looked at the report and realized it was all about electorate numbers and after reading the report came to the sad conclusion that no one has thought about Rainworths community?

I noted your keys points - 1 Fair electorate numbers per member

2 Aim to reflect community interests and identities and include evidence of community links

3 Be based on strongly, easily identifiable boundaries

4 Help the council deliver effective and convenient local government

Note 1 Rainworth has a perfect electorate figure for a 2 member ward without any other village.

Note 2 Rainworth has no links at all to Wellow or Eakring and is a good 25 minutes drive away. Rufford has little links but at least is next to Rainworth. and Rainworth have their own shops, doctors and primary schools the only link between them is road links and the secondary school which is in Rainworth the

1 much larger village. Rainworth will lose its identity if craved up, it will be totally confusing to residents who there councillor is.

Note 3 we have had to write all the names of the streets which will be in the Blidworth ward on our petition, (how is splitting a village identifiable? Southwell and Edwinstowe has not been split for this reason) Then the other side of Rainworth south we are joined with villages 25+ minutes away?

Note 4 I feel this will not help the council deliver an effective local government as Rainworth will more than likely have a councillor living in Blidworth, Wellow, Eaking or Rufford when Rainworth is the larger village.

Myself and a few residents have put together a petition. As we only found out on the 12th December and with the festive period door to door wasn't possible although through local shops and facebook (Rainworth page) and residents we have managed to collect 186 signatures against these proposals which I will attached to this email.

We propose Rainworth be a 2 member ward on its own. Rufford wellow and eaking be 1 member ward and Blidworth/ be a 1 member ward.

Please take our comments into consideration this will massively effect Rainworth especially groups such as ourselves.

Petiton 1 and 2 can be on following email as having trouble downloading.

Kind Regards

Clare Salmon

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