Local Residents submissions to the Herefordshire County Council electoral review
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Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 18:57 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1405 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 5:57pm IP Address:
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Name: andrew atkinson Address 1:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you parish/town council belong to: Your feedback: I am also concerned about dividing the communities of Ross Rural and Ross town. I believe that these should be kept together File upload:
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31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 11:11 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1389 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 10:10am IP Address:
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Name: Andrew Atkinson Address 1:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you parish/town council belong to: Your feedback: I believe that single member wards give greater accountability to the electorate than multi member wards and fully support single member wards for Herefordshire File upload:
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31/08/2012 Representation to the Local Government Boundary Commission from Mr Christopher Mark Bartrum,
I am responding to the latest stage of consultation on County Council ward boundaries in Herefordshire and I am particularly concerned about any new arrangements to be made in Ross‐on‐ Wye. I am a County and Town Councillor for Ross‐on‐Wye, but I am only expressing my personal opinions in this representation.
Currently, Ross‐on‐Wye has four County Councillors divided between two wards, each with two members. A suggestion has been made by the County Council – a suggestion voted down by County Councillors at their meeting on 20/7/2012 – that the areas of Greytree and Hildersley should be split off and allocated to what is at the moment the Old Gore Ward. Clearly this is intended to increase the electorate in the Old Gore Ward and help with the project of attaining electoral equality in the County.
I would be absolutely opposed to such a suggestion. Every one of my residents that I have spoken to since this suggestion came into the public domain and who lives in the areas at issue has told me that they are staggered that such a proposal has been made. All of them have told me that they consider themselves to live in and be a part of Ross‐on‐Wye.
Greytree and Hildersley lie within the Ross Rural Parish Council area, whereas the rest of the town liese within th Ross Town Council area. However apart from a Fire Station and an Ambulance Station, virtually all the services that people need are located in the town – police, doctors’ surgeries, retail shops, library, swimming pool, all the churches, all the sports facilities apart from the Rugby Club. Apart from possibly one farm shop, Greytree and Hildersley have no shops at all.
This means that the identity of these two areas is inextricably linked to the town of Ross‐on‐Wye. They have absolutely no links to the Old Gore Ward, apart from a current common County Council and Parish Council boundary. To put it in the terms used on your website, the people in these areas relate to the town of Ross‐on‐Wye and certainly not to Upton Bishop or any of the villages in the current Old Gore ward.
There is a problem for Ross‐on‐Wye with the numbers. Currently and based on four County Councillors for Ross, the number of electors per Councillor is around 2074, whereas the average for the County is 2448. However if we go down to three Councillors, the number of electors per Councillor will become 2765. If the total of County Councillors is reduced to 54, the number of electors per Councillor will become 2630. I can therefore see the argument for reducing the number of Ross Councillors to three, but I do not necessarily agree with it.
I have seen no evidence relating to the workload for Councillors in urban as opposed to rural areas. I may be completely wrong, but anecdotally and from talking to fellow Councillors, I suspect that the workload for urban based Councillors is higher than in more rural areas. There may be the same number of potholes in rural areas, but less people drive into them and therefore the volume of complaints is less. There are no or many fewer chances of night time disturbances, leading to the need to liaise closely with the police. There are fewer facilities, so issues around cuts or changes to public services and the need to explain and discuss with residents do not arise so often. In urban areas, there are County Council owned hedges to be maintained and cut and literally thousands of people to raise the issue with their County Councillors if they are not. In rural areas, by and large there are not. And so on.
If true, this supports the argument that urban areas could have fewer electors, particularly given that the emerging Local Development Plan envisages considerable house building in urban areas in the period 2012 – 2030. Assuming a growth in Ross‐on‐Wye of 50 housing units per year (which is the same as in the previous ten years) and two electors per housing unit, by 2018 the electors in Ross‐on‐Wye can be assumed to have become 8896, or 2224 electors per Councillor, assuming four Councillors. This would be a variance of 518 from the County Council’s calculation of the “ideal electorate per Councillor” predicted for 2018, 2742 or 19%, based on 54 Councillors for the County. If the number of Councillors remained at 58, the variance would be 328 or 13%.
I would also like to say something about the proposal to reduce the number of County Councillors form 58 to 54. I note that you are already “minded” to recommend that this should happen. Looking at the representations made on this point, the main argument to reduce came from the County Council. Looking at their arguments, it seems to me that the argument and “evidence” was structured so as to support a figure that had already been decided upon. Therefore the “evidence” was arranged so as to support a previously arrived at conclusion, rather than the evidence leading to a conclusion. Of the representations from organisations and County Councillors, only two supported the proposal, while five were opposed. Eight parishes were opposed and six were in favour. Members of the public were split eighteen in favour and eighteen against. What was striking here was the number of very short and almost identically worded representations in favour, clearly showing some organised lobbying in operation.
I am not convinced that we should go from 58 to 54 Councillors. I note that in adjacent unitary authorities, Monmouthshire has 1651 electors per Councillor, Powys 1413 and Shropshire 3119, while Herefordshire is currently on around 2448. Further, I calculate the annual allowance paid to County Councillors per elector to be respectively £8.35, £8.43, £3.69 and Herefordshire £2.75.
Finally, I support the proposal to move to single member wards.
Regards,
Chris Bartrum Page 1 of 2
Lawrence, Arion
From: Reviews@ Sent: 20 August 2012 10:02 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1355 Time of Submission: Aug 20th 2012 at 9:01am IP Address: :
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Name: Gill Betts Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode: Email Address: Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: I feel very strongly that dividing Ledbury into three separate wards would also divide the town's cohesiveness as an historic market town and its sense of community. This would be a very divisive move and one that I think should not be contemplated. It flies in the face of David Cameron's idea of 'Big Society' of which Ledbury is already a great example.
Gill Betts File upload:
20/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Lawrence, Arion
From: Reviews@ Sent: 18 August 2012 11:48 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1352 Time of Submission: Aug 18th 2012 at 10:48am IP Address: ::
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Name: Steve Betts Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode: Email Address: Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: The proposal for Ledbury would create entirely artificial wards within a small town which is physically, economically and socially very much a single unit. At present, if I have a need to communicate with a local Herefordshire councillor, I can choose, from three, the councillor whom I consider is best suited for that matter in hand File upload:
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20/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 09:38 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1385 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 8:38am IP Address: :
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Name: Michael Bourne
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you political group/organisation belong to: Your feedback:
I welcome the proposal to reduce the number councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54. Further I endorse Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. This I believe secures better democracy and greater electoral accountability.
File upload:
31/08/2012
Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 08:53 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1381 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 7:52am IP Address:
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Name: Greg Brina Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you political group/organisation belong to: Your feedback: I think the proposal to reduce the number councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54 is a good one. I agree with Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. I think this will secure better democracy and greater electoral accountability. File upload:
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31/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 13:52 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1397 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 12:52pm IP Address: :
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Name: Lars Carlsson
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: We welcome the proposal to reduce the number councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54. Further I endorse Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. This I believe secures better democracy and greater electoral accountability.
Lars Carlsson Christina Aasa Carlsson File upload:
31/08/2012
Page 1 of 1
Lawrence, Arion
From: Reviews@ Sent: 12 July 2012 15:02 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Your name: Valerie Coker Your email: I am: a parish councillor Comment/enquiry relating to a current review type: Comments: I would like to say that although I understand that the previous boundaries may have needed amendment, I think that the decision to include Brampton Abbotts with North Herefordshire is an absolute nonsense. Our postal Address is Ross-on-Wye HR9 and we have no contact with Leominster which is well to the north.
Whatever other changes are proposed, I would like to say that both my husband and I would strongly prefer Brampton Abbotts to be put back in South Herefordshire which is of course geographically correct.
Valerie Coker
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24/07/2012 Page 1 of 1
Lawrence, Arion
From: Reviews@ Sent: 17 August 2012 19:47 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Name: E A Davies Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode: Email Address: Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: I feel that the proposed changes would be divisive and would split the town. The system has worked well in the past and should be left as it is. File upload:
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20/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 12:43 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1395 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 11:42am IP Address:
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Name: Paul Deneen
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: I support the proposal for 54 members to the Herefordshire Council. I also agree and endorse the suggestion that each Ward should be represented by a single member. This makes sense as it will make it much easier for local people to identify with an individual Councillor who will be there to represent them on the Herefordshire Council. File upload: , File (application/octet-stream),
31/08/2012
Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Arthur Fraser Sent: 27 August 2012 16:22 To: Reviews@ Subject: FW: Review of Herefordshire local ward boundaies
From: Arthur Fraser Sent: 27 August 2012 16:17 To: Subject: Review of Herefordshire local ward boundaies
Dear Sir,
As both a Marden parishioner and as a local Parish Councillor I wish to make my concerns known about the possibility of this ward, Sutton Walls, being split up under Herefordshire Council’s wish to reduce the number of councillors from 58 to 54. Currently the ward comprises the parishes of Sutton St Nicholas, Moreton‐on‐Lugg and Marden. The number of electors in this ward falls within the LGBC tolerance of 10% and will remain so in 2018, based on new build anticipated within the ward during that time, even if the number of councillors is reduced to 54.
In my opinion the ward constitutes a compact and rural area where all the parishes are within a few miles of each other. This particular ward came into being at the last ward review many years ago and has worked successfully since. To my mind there are no valid arguments not to continue with this particular ward following the reduction in Herefordshire councillors from 58 to 54. Indeed, Herefordshire has already stated that it did not intend to disrupt wards that met the criteria but then decided to use a 5% tolerance criteria rather than the 10% recommended by the LGBC. This particular ward would meet the 5% for 58 councillors for 2012 and 2018 but would generate numbers slightly below 5% for 54 councillors in both 2012 and 2018. However, the 2018 percentages are based on anticipated increases in the number of properties built in the parishes and, as such, are not necessarily reliable. It is also unwise to attempt to be too restrictive in deciding the tolerance acceptable for what is, after all, a very uncertain future.
Despite the reference to Herefordshire council’s initial proposals, discussed above, it is understood that Herefordshire Council has now not agreed a proposal on new arrangements of wards but is requesting the LGBC to establish single member wards throughout Herefordshire. That being the case my plea to you is that you ensure that where wards meet the LGBC 10% criteria they should be retained, in particular this ward of Sutton Walls.
Yours faithfully
A Fraser
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 14:19 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Name: June French Address 1:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you political group/organisation belong to: Your feedback: I strongly support the Proposal from Herefordshire Council to reduce the number of Councillors to 54 and to move to Single Member Wards. Single Member Wards give direct accountability between the Voter and the Councillor File upload:
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31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Lawrence, Arion
From: Reviews@ Sent: 20 August 2012 10:42 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Name: A.L.Gibson Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode: Email Address: Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: 1. I firmly believe that the proposal to split Ledbury into 3 wards, and therefore change from the present, very effective, multi-member ward, is misguided. 2. Nevertheless, I believe that there are too many members in Herefordshire Council, andt hat the proposed reduction from 54 to 50, of which I have heard mention, does not go far enough. File upload:
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20/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 20:53 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Name: Trevor Gregory Address 1:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: I welcome the proposal to reduce the number councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54. Further I endorse Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. This I believe secures better democracy and greater electoral accountability. File upload: , File (application/octet-stream),
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31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 12:16 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Name: GRIFFITHS Address 1:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you parish/town council belong to: Your feedback: I welcome the proposal to reduce the number councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54. Further I endorse Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. This I believe secures better democracy and greater electoral accountability. File upload:
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31/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Lawrence, Arion
From: Reviews@ Sent: 17 August 2012 21:52 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Name: Donald Henderson Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode: Email Address: Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: I oppose splitting the Ledbury ward into three as it will have a detrimental effect on the town's cohesiveness and will not be in the town's interest. In order to protect community interests, avoid splitting the community and to retain local community identity a single ward for Ledbury with multiple Councillors is preferred. Having one Councillor/ward is an arbitrary requirement with no compelling benefit in Ledbury's case. File upload:
20/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Lawrence, Arion
From: Edd Hogan Sent: 20 August 2012 12:00 To: Reviews@ Subject: Herefordshire (FER) consultation Importance: High Sir
With reference to the proposed changes for Herefordshire Council’s size and warding:
Ledbury is a vibrant town currently represented by three ward councillors. It is my understanding that the proposal is to change this so that Ledbury is sub‐divided into different wards, each with a councillor. The end result is that there will still be three ward councillors representing broadly the same geographic area and population. I am writing to express my unhappiness with the splitting up of the current Ledbury ward in this way. The town is a small town on the edge of the county. Having three ward councillors representing the whole town has benefits over the split three ward proposal:
1) Each of the three councillors has an interest in the town as a whole, not just one part of it 2) Each of the three councillors can be approached by members of the public (i.e. cover for when one is away or unavailable for whatever reason) 3) Change may mean that future councillor candidates are not selected from the town as a whole, but from a small geographic ward area, thus reducing overall candidate choice 4) Three councillors speaking with one voice, for one ward, on an issue carries more weight than three individual ward councillors 5) The initial consultation report document refers to wards being perfectly acceptable to two or three ward councillors, therefore keeping the existing arrangement is not contrary to the report’s recommendations.
I hope this is useful and that my comments can be taken into consideration ahead of changes becoming confirmed.
Kind regard
Edward Hogan
20/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 25 August 2012 11:42 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received - Custom Form Submission Notification
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Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Name: Griff & Sally Holliday Address 1:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: The proposals to divide Ledbury's representation into 3 distinct wards is unreasonable on the following grounds:
The proposals fail to reflect the identity and interests of the local community a. Ledbury is to be split into 3 unhomogeneous wards - Ledbury should be considered a homogeneous whole for the purposes of local representation - it's one small country town - not a business centre and two housing estates (as per this proposal) b. Almost all the business centre of the town centre is concentrated in 1 ward (North)and would henceforth by represented by only one councillor c. Ward boundaries are drawn in a way that is arbitrary (even to the level of calling the most Westerly ward "East")and risks
31/08/2012 Page 2 of 2
splitting the town in terms of its on-going priorities and interests d. Representation of our industrial base would be fragmented across 3 wards rather than being represented as a cohesive whole
The proposals fail fail to provide for effective and convenient local government: a. The current provision of 3 councillors for Ledbury provides for councillors to specialise in specific aspects of the town's requirements and sensibly spread the load of representation - the load for 1 councillor particularly in North Ward would be unreasonable - this is NOT a rural parish b. The current provision covers for councillors being unavailable (e.g. through illness, holiday etc). c. The current provision enables the electors of the town to have a wider choice to represent them at county level than would be the case with single councillor wards. File upload:
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31/08/2012
Page 1 of 2
Lawrence, Arion
From: Reviews@ Sent: 17 August 2012 21:16 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received - Custom Form Submission Notification
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Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1349 Time of Submission: Aug 17th 2012 at 8:15pm IP Address:
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Name: I James Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode: Email Address: Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: I strongly disagree with the current proposals for electoral changes that will produce arbitrary mini-wards with no community identity of their own, splitting streets down the middle and contravening the guidelines set down for this review at its outset.
It will also fail to provide balanced wards within Ledbury in terms of elector numbers without presuming significant development on the viaduct site (which assumptions are based on flawed 'consultations' that are being contested), while the area is currently located outside the adopted planning framework.
It also leads to a reduction in the effectiveness and convenience of residents’ representation by precluding
20/08/2012 Page 2 of 2
ward members from specialising in particular areas of council operation. It will also remove residents’ choice concerning which councillor to approach with their problems, some of whom will be unwilling to progress issues being promoted by an autocratic cabinet system of local government.
Please stop wasting money in this reorganisation.
File upload:
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20/08/2012
Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Allan Jones Sent: 28 August 2012 13:03 To: Reviews@ Subject: Electoral Review of Herefordshire Dear Sir
I understand that there is a proposal that the village of Hampton Bishop may be taken into the City of Hereford or indeed merged with the parishes of Lugwardine and Bartestree in a new ward. You will be aware that Hampton Bishop has,at present, little or no connection with those two villages, the affiliation, if any, being more with the villages of Dormington, Fownhope and Mordiford with which we have direct road links, shared bus service, shops and schools. I understand that the Fownhope and Hampton Bishop Parish Councils have formulated a proposal for a new ward to include Backbury, Dormington, Woolhope, Brockhampton, Fownhope and Hampton Bishop and I would support that proposal.
Yours faithfully
Sally Pauline Jones The Old Rectory
Carver Jones Solicitors 44 Bridge Street, Hereford HR4 9DN Tel: 01432 274301 Fax: 01432 352268 Service by Fax and E-mail is not accepted This firm is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under the name of Carver Jones No.00046044 This e-mail and any attachment is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and / or privileged materials. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of or taking any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error and are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete this e-mail and any attachments from this e-mail. Carver Jones makes no representation or warranty as to the absence of viruses in this e-mail or any attachments and we may moniter e-mails sent to or from our server.
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 08:56 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Name: Neil Kerr
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you other private sector belong to: Your feedback: I welcome the proposal to reduce the number councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54. Further I endorse Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. This I believe secures better democracy and greater electoral accountability.
Neil Kerr File upload:
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 09:03 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
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Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1384 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 8:02am IP Address: ::
Form Answers
Name: Simon Kinder Address 1: Address 2: Address 3:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: I support the proposal to reduce the number councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54 and endorse Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. This will provide greater accountability and enhance democracy. File upload:
This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 09:58 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
- Custom Form Submission Notification
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Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1388 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 8:58am IP Address: :
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Name: Mrs. S.E. Mathews Address 1:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: This is an excellent move in these days of austerity. Not only that it will be far more democratic to move to having only one Councillor to represent each ward as it will promote accountability, which is so important. File upload:
This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 12:09 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
- Custom Form Submission Notification
Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1392 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 11:08am IP Address:
Form Answers
Name: Gina Melville
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you political group/organisation belong to: Your feedback: I welcome the proposal to reduce the number councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54. Further I endorse Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. This I believe secures better democracy and greater electoral accountability. File upload:
This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Lawrence, Arion
From: Reviews@ Sent: 12 August 2012 15:41 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received - Custom Form Submission Notification
Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
Submission Information
Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1331 Time of Submission: Aug 12th 2012 at 2:41pm IP Address: :
Form Answers
Name: Ian Murray Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode: Email Address: Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: Herefordshire council decisions traditionally have been Hereford city centric with the county towns and rural areas having little say or money. What is good for Hereford is said to be good for Herefordshire, but the council ignore our opinion, or the opinion of our elected county town or rural councillors. The city councillors rule as a large group and as such are able to push city centric projects forwards whilst the county town and rural area councillors are often divided by geographic needs and frequently have to compete with each other for the same limited funds. The last thing the people of the county need is less say in the council chamber, can I therefore suggest that any reduction in councillors be from within the city wards so as to try to even the balance of power and therefore allow the voice of the rural community to be heard and equal funding to happen Reducing councillors from rural and the
13/08/2012 Page 2 of 2
county towns, as seems likely, will only result in further erosion of rural power. Whilst equalising the number of voters per elected councillor looks good on paper, the existing system does not work in practice, and the planned system will increase this inequality. Unlike most counties, the city and county are one unitory body and so a different system is needed to the norm. File upload:
This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
13/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 08:56 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
- Custom Form Submission Notification
Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
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Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1382 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 7:55am
Form Answers
Name: Nick nenadich
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you political group/organisation belong to: Your feedback:  I welcome the proposal to reduce the number councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54. Further I endorse Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. This I believe secures better democracy and greater electoral accountability.  File upload: , File (application/octet-stream),
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 2
Bowden, Tim
From: Gregory, Eleanor Sent: 23 August 2012 11:25 To: Bowden, Tim Subject: FW: Custom Form Submission Received Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Orange
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 22 August 2012 15:03 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
- Custom Form Submission Notification
Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
Submission Information
Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online-submissions- form Submission ID: 1361 Time of Submission: Aug 22nd 2012 at 2:02pm IP Address:
Form Answers
Name: Mr R M Wilson
Area your submission Herefordshire refers to: Organisation you parish/town council belong to: Your feedback: Submitted on behalf of Mr M Postians and Ms L Hoppe, The Steppes,Lugwardine, HR1 4AL as well:
WARD BOUNDARIES HEREFORDSHIRE –
31/08/2012 Page 2 of 2
CONSULTATION
The Bartestree with Lugwardine Group Parish Council is formed of two parish councils that lie astride the A438, Ledbury road, approximately 3 miles from the centre of Hereford yet not connected because of the ancient Lugg water meadows and having less than 1 km of common boundary with the city. Broadly triangular in shape its northern boundary, with Withington GPC, is about 3.5 km, with the parishes split by 3 coincident boundaries, the Hereford –Worcester rail line, the A4103 Hereford –Worcester road and the actual boundary – a small stream for the majority. To the southwest, the approx 6km boundary with Hampton Bishop is the river Lugg and its meadows and to the east, the rather indeterminate 4.5km boundary is divided between the 3 parishes of Weston Beggard, Dormington and Mordiford. We are in agreement with the proposal made by the Herefordshire Unitary Authority that there should be one member one ward rather than the several multi-member wards at present. As to the linking of parishes to form wards there are minor pros and cons for our linking with any of the parishes bounding us, save that of the City of Hereford where strong feelings exist within the parish that we would lose our identity if warded with them. There is little linkage with Withington, bar an ecclesiastical one, but the Lugg and its meadows are a common bond with Hampton Bishop. That said Hampton Bishop remains a rural Herefordshire village, as does Lugwardine village, when Bartestree village (within Lugwardine parish) and Withington village can be classed more as residential centres for Hereford city. The existing ward or that suggested in the electorally balanced scheme produced by Herefordshire Council are likely to be as equally acceptable. We do not consider that we have sufficient knowledge to comment on the remaining warding issues in the county. File upload: This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 19:35 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
- Custom Form Submission Notification
Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
Submission Information
Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1407 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 6:34pm IP Address:
Form Answers
Name: Carol Address 1: Powell
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: I welcome the proposal to reduce the number of Councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54. Further I endorse Herefordshire Council's decision that wards should be represented by a single councillor, as I believe this secures better democracy and greater electoral accountability. File upload: , File (application/octet-stream),
This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Mary Sinclair Powell Sent: 28 August 2012 07:58 To: Reviews@ Subject: Boundary Changes
Sir
Please take note of my views on the proposed changes to put Greytree and Hildersley into Old Gore.
In my opinion this is totally the wrong move.
We in Greytree have nothing in common with Old Gore and are more Ross-on-Wye Town orientated than anything if changes have to be made. We pay towards the rates of Ross-on-Wye and benefit greatly from everything they have to offer and more. Our children go to Ross-on-Wye Schools. we shop in Ross and therefore keep the local economy going. Our bus services are based in Ross - we are part of the Ross Round Bus Service no 40. We know our councillors by name and they know us and are highly approachable for anything we need or have problems with. We might be the wrong side of the A40 but we are still Ross. Our local supermarkets are in Ross and are very accessible for anyone who does not have transport. Again using them boost the local economy which is what we all need in these trying times. I was born in Ross and chose to live in Greytree when I returned 27 years ago because it was part of Ross as well as being the rural area that it is. If I had wanted to live further away I would have picked elsewhere. Exactly what benefits are there for putting into Old Gore - absolutely none that I can see. In fact I can see the Greytree Residents being worse off and totally out on a limb if we are taken away from the excellent services that we get today - joining in with Ross Town would be an excellent move as we have far more in common with them than any where else. If it ain't broke why fix it is a very old saying - and totally applies in this case.
I do hope my views above will be taken into consideration when this matter is discussed. I also hope there will be a public meeting with full consultation - preferably on the style of a referendum before any changes are made. If this were done I do feel that there would be an overwhelming majority of Greytree Residents who would vote against Old Gore and definitely for Ross Town.
Mary Sinclair Powell
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 15:29 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
- Custom Form Submission Notification
Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
Submission Information
Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1400 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 2:28pm IP Address:
Form Answers
Name: Philip price Address 1:
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: I support the council size reducing to 54 members and I believe each ward should be represented by a single councillor File upload: , File (application/octet-stream),
This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
31/08/2012
Page 1 of 2
Lawrence, Arion
From: Seeberg, John Sent: 17 August 2012 14:53 To: Reviews@ Cc: Watts, Peter (Cllr); Bettington, Phillip (Cllr); [email protected] Subject: Boundary Commission Dear Sir/Madam,
I wish to register my concerns with the newly proposed 3‐way boundary split in Ledbury.
I strongly believe that Ledbury is a community in the round and believe that the newly proposed 3‐way split will:
produce arbitrary mini‐wards with no community identity of their own, splitting streets down the middle and contravening the guidelines set down for the review at its outset;
fail to provide balanced wards in terms of elector numbers without presuming significant development on the viaduct site, despite this currently sitting outside of adopted planning frameworks;
reduce the effectiveness and convenience of residents’ representation by precluding ward members from specialising in particular areas of council operation and removing residents’ choice concerning which councillor to approach with their problems.
The ability to retain multi‐member wards was promised by Herefordshire Council at the outset of the current Boundary Commission review and has now been withdrawn without good reason?
I look forward to receiving your reply.
All the best, John Seeberg Resident of Ledbury
______
20/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Reviews@ Sent: 28 August 2012 09:42 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
- Custom Form Submission Notification
Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
Submission Information
Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1386 Time of Submission: Aug 28th 2012 at 8:41am IP Address: ::
Form Answers
Name: Elizabeth Shayler
Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you political group/organisation belong to: Your feedback: I support the proposal to reduce the number of councillors for Herefordshire Council to 54. I also endorse Herefordshire Council’s decision that wards should be represented by a single member. I believe this will promote greater democracy and enhance electoral accountability.
File upload:
This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
31/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Lawrence, Arion
From: Adrian Soble Sent: 08 August 2012 13:05 To: Reviews@ Subject: Proposals for Old Gore Ward, Herefordshire Council
Dear Mr. Lawrence
I refer to the above proposals by Herefordshire Council for the residents of Ross Rural Parish Council to be represented by a ward councillor in the Old Gore Ward.
Ross Rural Parish Council is primarily made up of 2 residential areas (Hildersley and Greytee) located on the boundary of Ross Town and in effect is part of the Ross Town. The electoral numbers for the 2 areas is approximatly 800.
Herefordshire Council have designated an area of land in Hildersley for residential development, proposals would increase the number of electors within the parish to about 1200.
Old Gore Ward has been described by Herefordshire Council as as being an area of hamlets, small villages and isolated dwellings. This profile is completely different to that of Greytree and Hildersley.
The current arrangements that Hildersley is represented in the Ross on Wye East ward and Greytee is represented in the Ross on Wye west ward should be retained.
I strongly object to the proposals for the areas of Hildersley and Greetree to be included within the Old Gore Ward.
Adrian Soble
13/08/2012
Page 1 of 4
Lawrence, Arion
From: Hinds, Alex Sent: 19 July 2012 15:08 To: Lawrence, Arion Subject: FW: Custom Form Submission Received
Alex Hinds Review Assistant Local Government Boundary Commission for England 76-86 Turnmill Street London EC1M 5LG Tel: 020 7664 8534 | Fax: 020 7296 6227 Email: [email protected] Web: www.lgbce.org.uk Think of the environment...please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 19 July 2012 10:47 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received
- Custom Form Submission Notification
Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
Submission Information
Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online-submissions- form Submission ID: 1263 Time of Submission: Jul 19th 2012 at 9:47am IP Address:
Form Answers
Name: Dr David Thame Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode: Email Address: Area your submission Herefordshire
25/07/2012 Page 2 of 4
refers to: Organisation you political group/organisation belong to: Your feedback:
I was the candidate for It's Our County for the Mortimer Ward of Herefordshire Council at the May 2011 county elections. That experience informs these comments.
I think there are two problems - and you can solve either one of them, but not both.
Problem 1: geographically large wards lead to a democratic deficit
Mortimer Ward is among the geographically largest, with a single member. Organising an election over large areas - with small populations - is almost impossible for any but the most entrenched political force. That is because Herefordshire's rural wards are not homogenous areas - e.g. one community dispersed - but many small settlements and larger villages each with their own local dynamics. These large rural wards are many communities dispersed. This delivers a massive advantage to the incumbent, who will be known in each community that comprises the ward, and represents a formidable barrier to entry to any challenger. Quite simply, you may not know anybody in village X despite being well known in village Y; and electors in village Z will take no interest in matters than deeply excite electors in parish Q. This is not the case in urban wards, which generally comprise one fairly well connected community with common interests (albeit different opinions about those interests).
Genuinely competitive elections in Herefordshire's rural wards are therefore rare, as election results bare out.
Consequently, I'd like to suggest Herefordshire adopts the same pattern as Powys - our neighbour to the west with a very similar pattern of dispersed communities.
They have single member wards in a single tier authority, and the size of the wards (geographically) means each member can clearly represent a single community or linked communities which have a genuine commity of interest.
Electorates below 1,000 are tolerated in Powys - sadly the Boundary Commission has already agreed to a 54-member Herefordshire council, so we can't go down this route as fully as I'd like, but single member wards of 2,600 electors are feasible.
I should certainly not like to see rural wards with electorates larger than this - competitive elections would barely be possible.
In urban areas, I'd like to remind the commission that 2,600 electors is within the normal effective size for many district councils. It need not be ruled out as too small.
25/07/2012 Page 3 of 4
54 single-member wards also have the advantage over the current mix of single and multi-member wards of clarity, consistency, and equal weight of influence.
In my area - and for the other dispersed rural areas - this would have the effect of no-change - the best outcome I think we can hope for, since to be the most effective democratic unit these wards ought to be smaller, and the council (like Powys, next door) have many more members in order to accomplish it's democratic purpose.
Problem 2. A large county with infrequent elections leads to a democratic deficit
Herefordshire is a geographically large unitary authority with many dispersed and barely connected communities with elections on a 4- yearly cycle. There are no intermediate authorities elected on a different cycle (parishes, in so far as they are elected at all, have the same election cycle). This easily leads to an unhappy disconnect between local people and their representatives (local press and website searches will reveal how deep seated this has become in Herefordshire - and my own party, which is now the second largest in the county, is a response to that).
Given that many of the rural wards are already too large to function as defined communities in the normal way that one would hope local government works, then I think we have at least to try to hold elected members to account regularly.
18 three-member wards, electing by thirds, would have this effect. This would produce county divisions of roughly 8,225 electors (2018). Some minor adjustments would be necessary, no doubt, but in essence Leominster, Ross and Ledbury become a single 3- member wards - which is a genuine improvement in coherence.
Hereford City wards would remain essentially unchanged - Central divided among its neighbours, having the useful effect of making the city centre the responsibility of many members, rather than just one (improving lobbying capacity and inlfuence).
Hereford's fringes would form a number of larger units - north, south, east and west, around shared road access to the city - which would make more sense that the current rather arbitrary division into smaller wards of what is essentially dispersed suburb.
Bromyard and Kington can be combined with their rural hinterland - the areas that turn to them for services - quite naturally.
The rural north of Leominster (including Mortimer ward) makes a natural unit, as does the rural south of Leominster.
Golden Valley North and South combine well with Vallets, in so far as anything connects with anything in that terrain.
25/07/2012 Page 4 of 4
The rural hinterlands north and south of Ross make sensible wards, facing Ross for their services.
This 18 x 3-member ward arrangement, like the 54 single member ward system, has an advantage of clarity over the current mix of single and multi-member wards, with the additional advantage of providing regular electoral engagement, something Herefordshire badly needs.
Conclusion
As I indicated, the boundary commission can chose to solve either problem 1 (large wards become democratically deficient) or problem 2 (a large county with infrequent elections becomes democratically deficient) but not, I suspect, both. File upload: This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
25/07/2012 Page 1 of 2
Lawrence, Arion
From: Reviews@ Sent: 15 August 2012 20:08 To: Reviews@ Subject: Custom Form Submission Received - Custom Form Submission Notification
Custom Form Submission Received
Review Editor,
A new custom form submission has been received. The details of the form submission are as follows:
Submission Information
Custom Form: Online submissions form (#183) Form URL: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-consultations/online- submissions-form Submission ID: 1343 Time of Submission: Aug 15th 2012 at 7:08pm IP Address:
Form Answers
Name: Kevin Tillett Address 1: Address 2: Address 3: Postcode: Email Address: Area your Herefordshire submission refers to: Organisation you member of the public belong to: Your feedback: Broadly speaking, I support the planned reduction in councillor numbers providing more equal representation. The modest reduction in councillor numbers will have no significant effect. I also understand that there is a move to single-member wards. This also has my support. In Hereford City, the effect of large multi-member wards has created unwieldy and unconnected groupings. For instance in my own ward of Belmont, which is made up of three distinct and different areas. Hunderton and Newton Farm are areas of mainly ex-local authority housing built post-war and have areas of significant social need. However, these two areas are separated by a major trunk road (A465). Hunderton also contains a small area of much older housing (contained within part of a Conservation area)whilst another part of Hunderton is within the adjoining ward of St Martins However the greatest discrepancy arises by joining
20/08/2012 Page 2 of 2
these two areas with "new" Belmont which is an area of much newer houses predominantly owner-occupied and of the "executive estate" type. Belmont ward cries out to be split into 3 more uniform wards which would allow the whole of Hunderton to be represented by one person with separate representations for Newton Farm and New Belmont. Similar examples exist across the City and I hope this exercise will take the opportunity to break up some of these overlarge and disparate ward groupings. File upload:
This communication is from LGBCE (http://www.lgbce.org.uk) - Sent to Review Editor
20/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: Howard Townson Sent: 27 August 2012 18:38 To: Reviews@ Subject: Electoral review of Herefordshire
, We would like to express our views on the new pattern of wards for Herefordshire Council in so far as this affects the parish of Hampton Bishop,currently in Backbury ward. Although we are not aware of any formal proposal from Herefordshire Council,we have heard suggestions that Hampton Bishop might either be taken into Hereford City,or included in a new ward with Bartestree and Lugwardine. We don't think that either of these alternatives would be appropriate.Hampton Bishop is a rural parish,and its administration seems totally unconnected with the city.While Bartestree and Lugwardine are technically adjacent parishes,we have no real connection with those villages,with which there is no convenient road or other community connection. Our closest connections are with the villages of Mordiford,Dormington,and Fownhope,with which we share road and bus connections,shops and a primary school.These links are reflected in the current composition of Backbury ward,and in our view should be maintained in any revised pattern of wards. We understand that Fownhope and Hampton Bishop Parish Councils have formulated a proposal for a new ward,which is essentially a rationalisation of Backbury,and which includes Dormington,Woolhope and Brockhampton,as well as Fownhope and Hampton Bishop.It seems to us that this is a really good proposal,which we therefore support. Yours sincerely, Howard and Madeleine Townson
31/08/2012
Page 1 of 1
Lawrence, Arion
From: Caroline Utting Sent: 12 August 2012 14:25 To: Reviews@ Subject: Boundary Review Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire Dear Sir/Madam I would like to register the following opinion with you with regard to the proposed alteration top the ward boundaries for Ross‐on‐Wye: The removal of Hildersley and Greytree from the Ross wards will fundamentally damage the town’s integrity and will dilute its voice at a county level. The people of Hildersley and Greytree consider themselves to live in Ross‐on‐Wye and cannot understand the logic of hiving them off into an unrelated ward. The population of the town is set to grow in future years and the main centre for this growth is Hildersley. It is vital, therefore that this area is firmly identified as part of Ross. In view of this the Town Council has recently requested a review of the current boundary that divides Ross Town from Ross Rural Parish as it works against sound decision making for the people of Ross as a whole.
Caroline utting
13/08/2012 Page 1 of 1
Bowden, Tim
From: james white Sent: 27 August 2012 21:07 To: Reviews@ Subject: Herefordshire ward boundaries Dear Sirs I wish to oppose the proposal to remove Hampton Bishop Parish from the backbury Ward. Hampton Bishop is a rural Parish which has natural connections with Mordiford and Fownhope. All are on the B4224 and all lie to the North of the River Wye. We share common flooding problems,schooling , social activity and in some cases medical facilities.Also a common Bus service which has recently been improved by a late evening weekend service connecting the above We have nothing in common with Bartestree and Lugwardine and I am sure they would not wish to join with us by preference. James N White New Fairfield
31/08/2012