Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for Barrow-In-Furness in Cumbria
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR BARROW-IN-FURNESS IN CUMBRIA Report to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions November 1997 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND This report sets out the Commission’s final recommendations on the electoral arrangements for Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Members of the Commission are: Professor Malcolm Grant (Chairman) Helena Shovelton (Deputy Chairman) Peter Brokenshire Professor Michael Clarke Robin Gray Bob Scruton David Thomas Adrian Stungo (Chief Executive) ©Crown Copyright 1997 Applications for reproduction should be made to: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office Copyright Unit The mapping in this report is reproduced from OS mapping by The Local Government Commission for England with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence Number: GD 03114G. ii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND CONTENTS page LETTER TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE v SUMMARY vii 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 CURRENT ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS 3 3 DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS 7 4 RESPONSES TO CONSULTATION 9 5 ANALYSIS AND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS 11 6 NEXT STEPS 19 APPENDIX A Final Recommendations for Barrow: Detailed Mapping 21 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND iii iv LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Local Government Commission for England 4 November 1997 Dear Secretary of State On 25 October 1996 the Commission commenced a periodic electoral review of the borough of Barrow-in- Furness under the Local Government Act 1992. We published our draft recommendations in May 1997 and undertook an eight-week period of consultation. We have now prepared our final recommendations in the light of the consultation. We have confirmed our draft recommendations, with one minor modification in the light of further evidence (see paragraph 46). This report sets out our final recommendations for changes to electoral arrangements in Barrow-in-Furness. We recommend that Barrow Borough Council should be served by 38 councillors representing 13 wards, and that some changes should be made to ward boundaries in order to improve electoral equality, having regard to the statutory criteria. We recommend that the Council should continue to be elected by thirds. I would like to thank members and officers of the Borough Council and other local people who have contributed to the review. Their co-operation and assistance have been very much appreciated by Commissioners and staff. Yours sincerely PROFESSOR MALCOLM GRANT Chairman LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND v vi LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND SUMMARY The Commission began a review of Barrow-in- ● In 12 of the 13 wards the number of electors Furness (‘Barrow’) on 25 October 1996. We per councillor would vary by no more than 10 published our draft recommendations for electoral per cent from the borough average; Barrow arrangements on 28 May 1997, after which we Island ward would have an electoral variance undertook an eight-week period of consultation. of 15 per cent. ● This report summarises the representations ● By 2001, the number of electors per we received during consultation on our draft councillor is projected to continue to vary by recommendations, and offers our final no more than 10 per cent from the average recommendations to the Secretary of State. in 12 wards. We found that the existing electoral arrangements A recommendation is also made for change to provide unequal representation of electors in town council electoral arrangements. It provides Barrow because: for: ● in three of the 13 wards, the number of ● change to the warding arrangements for the electors represented by each councillor varies parish of Dalton Town with Newton. by more than 10 per cent from the average for the borough; All further correspondence on these ● by 2001, the number of electors per recommendations and the matters councillor in four of the 13 wards is likely to discussed in this report should be addressed vary by more than 10 per cent from the to the Secretary of State for the borough average. Environment, Transport and the Regions, who will not make an order implementing Our main final recommendations for future the Commission’s recommendations before electoral arrangements (Figure 1) are that: 16 December 1997: ● Barrow Borough Council should be served The Secretary of State by 38 councillors, the same as at present; Local Government Review Department of the Environment, ● there should continue to be 13 wards; Transport and the Regions Eland House ● the boundaries of 11 of the existing wards Bressenden Place should be modified, while two wards, London SW1E 5DU Barrow Island and Hindpool, should retain their existing boundaries; ● elections should continue to take place by thirds. These recommendations seek to ensure that the number of electors represented by each borough councillor is as nearly as possible the same, having regard to local circumstances. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND vii Figure 1: The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 1 Barrow Island 2 Unchanged Large map 2 Central 3 Central ward; Risedale ward (part) Large map 3 Dalton North 3 Dalton North ward (part – Askam Map A2 and & Ireleth parish, Lindal & Marton large map parish, Dowdales parish ward (part) of Dalton Town with Newton parish) 4 Dalton South 3 Dalton South ward; Dalton North Map A2 and ward (part – Anty Cross & Newton large map and Beckside parish wards, and Dowdales parish ward (part) of Dalton Town with Newton parish) 5 Hawcoat 3 Hawcoat ward (part) Large map 6 Hindpool 3 Unchanged Large map 7 Newbarns 3 Newbarns ward (part) Large map 8 Ormsgill 3 Ormsgill ward (part) Large map 9 Parkside 3 Parkside ward (part); Hawcoat ward Large map (part); Newbarns ward (part); Ormsgill ward (part) 10 Risedale 3 Risedale ward (part); Parkside ward Large map (part); Roosecote ward (part) 11 Roosecote 3 Roosecote ward (part); Newbarns Large map ward (part) 12 Walney North 3 Walney North ward; Walney South Large map ward (part) 13 Walney South 3 Walney South ward (part) Large map Notes: 1 Only the wards of Dalton North and Dalton South are parished. 2 The maps in Appendix A illustrate the proposed ward boundaries. viii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND 1. INTRODUCTION 1 This report contains our final recommendations 5 Stage Three began on 28 May 1997 with the on the electoral arrangements for the borough of publication of our report, Draft Recommendations Barrow in Cumbria. We have now reviewed all the on the Future Electoral Arrangements for districts in Cumbria as part of our programme of Barrow–in–Furness in Cumbria, and ended on 22 periodic electoral reviews of all principal local July 1997. Comments were sought on our authority areas in England. preliminary conclusions. Finally, during Stage Four we reconsidered our draft recommendations 2 In undertaking these reviews we have had in the light of the Stage Three consultation and regard to: now publish our final recommendations. ● the statutory criteria contained in section 13(5) of the Local Government Act 1992; ● the Rules to be Observed in Considering Electoral Arrangements contained in Schedule 11 to the Local Government Act 1972. 3 We have also had regard to our Guidance and Procedural Advice for Local Authorities and Other Interested Parties (published in March 1996 and supplemented in September 1996), which sets out our approach to the reviews. 4 This review was in four stages. Stage One began on 25 October 1996, when we wrote to Barrow Borough Council inviting proposals for future electoral arrangements. Our letter was copied to Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Police Authority, the local authority associations, Cumbria Association of Local Councils, parish and town councils in the borough, Members of Parliament and the Member of the European Parliament with constituency interests in the borough, and the headquarters of the main political parties. At the start of the review and following publication of our draft recommendations, we published notices in the local press, issued a press release and invited the Borough Council to publicise the review more widely. The closing date for receipt of representations was 20 January 1997. At Stage Two we considered all the representations received during Stage One and prepared our draft recommendations. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND 1 2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND 2. CURRENT ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS 6 The borough of Barrow is located in south-west Cumbria, at the tip of the Furness Peninsula. It is geographically small, covering only 77 square kilometres, and is a largely urban area with a population of 72,000, accounting for about 15 per cent of the county’s population. The borough contains two islands – Walney Island and Barrow Island – which are linked to the mainland by the A5087. VSEL, the shipbuilding company and the borough’s major employer, is based on Barrow Island. The shipbuilding industry has undergone some decline in recent years, which may have contributed to a slight reduction in population and the borough being granted EU Assisted Area Status. The borough has three parishes covering the area to the north of Barrow town. 7 To compare levels of electoral inequality between wards, the extent to which the number of electors per councillor in each ward (the councillor:elector ratio) varies from the average for the borough in percentage terms, has been calculated. In the report, this calculation may also be described as ‘electoral variance’. 8 The Borough Council has 38 councillors elected from 13 wards (Map 1 and Figure 2). Twelve wards are each represented by three councillors and one ward elects two councillors. The Council is elected by thirds, with the next elections due in May 1998. The electorate of the borough is 54,913 (February 1996) and each councillor represents an average of 1,445 electors.