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Electoral review June 2012

Final recommendations on the new electoral arrangements Summary for County Council

Who we are: Council size Electoral arrangements The Local Government As part of its final Our final recommendations Boundary Commission for recommendations, the propose that Somerset’s 55 is an independent Commission recommends that councillors should represent 53 body which conducts should single-member divisions and one be represented by 55 county two-member division across the electoral reviews of local councillors in future: three fewer county. authority areas. than under the current arrangements. The Commission believes its final recommendations meet its Electoral reviews: We consider that a council size of obligations - which are set out in The purpose of an 55 members will ensure the law - to: electoral review is to council can discharge its roles decide on the appropriate and responsibilities effectively ■ Deliver electoral equality for and will provide for a pattern of voters. electoral arrangements – electoral divisions that reflects the number of councillors, community identities across ■ Reflect local community the names, number and Somerset. interests and identities. boundaries of electoral ■ Promote effective and divisions – for convenient local government. a local authority.

Why Somerset? You can read the full report and view the maps on our website at We are conducting an www.lgbce.org.uk We will also make them available in council buildings and libraries. electoral review of Somerset County Council to deliver improved levels Stage starts Description of electoral equality for 23 August 2011 Submission of proposals for local voters. division patterns tothe Commission Somerset currently has 14 November 2011 Commission’s formulation of draft high levels of electoral recommendations inequality so that the value 21 February 2012 Publication of draft of your vote - in county recommendations and council elections - varies consultation on them depending on where you 10 April 2012 Analysis of submissions received live in the Somerset. and formulation of final recommendations Submissions received district Ruishton and Thornfalcon with During our consultation on our In , we propose to alter Creech St Michael. However, we draft recommendations, we our draft recommendations so found that any such arrangement received 146 submissions from that the boundary between would cause the area of Monkton members of the public, the Bridgwater South and Bridgwater Heathfield to be split. We County Council, district councils, West follows the district ward therefore confirm our draft local organisations and political boundary. recommendations in this area as groups. In the other parts of Sedgemoor, final. All submissions can be viewed on we confirm our draft We are also proposing that the our website at www.lgbce.org.uk recommendations as final. parishes of Sampford Arundel and Wellington Without should be General analysis District transferred to the Upper Tone The Commission is proposing to division as the change improves The draft recommendations alter its proposals in to electoral equality in Upper Tone propose that each of create a single-member Brympton as well as reducing the Somerset’s districts should be division and a single-member geographic size of the Blackdown represented by the following Yeovil West division in place of & Neroche division. number of county councillors. the two-member division proposed in our draft West Somerset District Number of recommendations. The Commission confirms its draft county In Chard, we propose to amend recommendations for the district councillors the boundary put forward in our as final with the exception of a change to the name of a division. Mendip 11 draft recommendations between Chard North and Chard South so We believe that the County Council’s proposal for a Sedgemoor 12 that it follows the district ward boundary. & Stogursey division should be South Somerset 17 part of the final recommendations. In the rural parts of South Somerset, we are also proposing What happens next? Deane 11 that the parish of Pitcombe should We have now completed our West Somerset 4 form part of the & review of electoral arrangements division to better reflect for Somerset County Council. local community identities. NB: These recommendations have no The changes we have proposed direct impact on the electoral arrangements of Taunton Deane borough must now be approved by Somerset’s district councils. In Taunton, we propose to alter Parliament. A draft order – the Mendip district the names of two of our proposed legal document which brings into In , we are proposing to divisions in response to evidence force our recommendations – will maintain the boundaries we put received during consultation. be laid in Parliament. Subject to forward at the draft In Wellington, we are proposing to Parliamentary scrutiny, the new recommendations stage as we alter our draft recommendations electoral arrangements will come believe they made better use of so that the areas of Tonedale and into force at the county council natural boundaries than the Rockwell Green are included in a elections in 2013. alternative proposals put to us. Wellington division. As a We are grateful to all those We also confirm our proposal for consequence, we propose that organisations and individuals who a two-member & part of east Wellington should have contributed to the review Street division. The alternative form part of the Blackdown & through expressing their views proposals we received in this area Neroche division. and advice. The full report and would either deliver poor levels of In rural Taunton Deane, the maps are available to download electoral equality for voters or Commission investigated ways in at www.lgbce.org.uk. would split the community of which united the parishes of Street.

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