Leicester Liberal Democrats
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Leicester City Liberal Democrats 19 May 2014 Alison Evison Review Manager Local Government Boundary Commission for England Layden House 76-86 Turnmill Street London EC1M 5LG Dear Ms Evison Liberal Democrat Proposals for the Electoral Review for the City of Leicester Please find enclosed our response to the Commission’s draft proposals. We hope that the Commission will find this work useful. If you have any questions, or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely Alan Fox Vice-Chair Leicester City Liberal Democrats cc. David Owen, Review Officer Liberal Democrat Counter-Proposals for the Electoral Review for the City of Leicester At this stage of the electoral review, Leicester City Liberal Democrats are supporting the Commission’s draft recommendations for the Braunstone and Rowley Fields, Castle, Evington, Humberstone and Hamilton, Knighton, Stoneygate, Thurncourt, and Westcotes wards. We are putting forward three counter-proposals to the Commission’s draft recommendations. Each can be considered separately. Each has the aim of repairing the damage done by the draft proposals to the integrity of local communities. Firstly we propose a reconfiguration of the Commission’s draft Aylestone and Eyres Monsell and Saffron and Aylestone Park wards in order to put the community of Aylestone back together again. Ward name number of Electorate variance Electorate variance from councillors (2012) from (2019) average % average % Aylestone 2 8,887 2% 9,155 4% Eyres Monsell 2 8,661 -1% 8,350 -5% Saffron & 2 8,637 -1% 9,027 2% Freemen Secondly we propose a reconfiguration of the Commission’s draft Abbey, Beaumont Leys, Fosse and Western wards in order to prevent the division of the New Parks Estate between three wards. Ward name number of Electorate variance Electorate variance from councillors (2012) from (2019) average % average % Abbey 3 13,397 2% 13,666 3% Beaumont 3 13,679 4% 13,738 4% Leys New Parks & 3 12,742 -3% 12,988 -2% Fosse Western Park 2 8,538 -2% 8,801 0% & Braunstone Frith Thirdly, we propose a reconfiguration of the Commission’s draft Belgrave, Green Lane, Rushey Mead, Spinney Hills, Troon and Wycliffe wards to prevent the unnecessary division of the Belgrave, Highfields, Northfields and Rushey Mead communities. Ward name number of Electorate variance Electorate variance from councillors (2012) from (2019) average % average % Belgrave 2 8,775 0% 8,873 1% Latimer 3 13,031 -1% 13,307 1% North 3 13,741 5% 13,023 -2% Evington Northfields 2 9,040 3% 8,918 1% Rushey Mead 2 8,837 1% 9,166 4% Spinney Hills 3 12,983 -1% 13,078 -1% We would ask that the Commission check our electorate figures as, especially where we have had to split polling districts, we may be out by a handful of voters on the 2012 figures and have had to assume uniform change throughout polling districts when extrapolating our 2019 figures. The unnecessary division of Aylestone In our previous representation, we argued for no change to Aylestone ward and no change to Eyres Monsell ward. We wanted to leave Aylestone intact and the community of Aylestone unbroken. The Labour Party argued that the current division of the Saffron Estate between the Eyres Monsell and Freemen wards along the A563 outer ring road needed to be rectified. Unfortunately, the Labour Party’s proposed solution involved cutting the neighbourhood and the community of Aylestone in half. Aylestone is a historic settlement. In 1086 the Domesday Book stated that ‘there are four mills in Aylestone’. St. Andrew's in Old Church Street is a fine Church, the main construction periods for the Church date from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. The parish of Aylestone became part of the City of Leicester in 1891. The draft proposals would divide Aylestone along an irrational boundary. This proposed boundary would slice through Aylestone Meadows Local Nature Reserve; cutting through the Aylestone community and the catchment area for Granby Primary School which is one of the two local primary schools in the ward. From Aylestone Road, the boundary ploughs its way along the residential streets of Duncan Road, Milligan Road and Burnaston Road. The Labour Party's proposed boundary is arbitrary and, if adopted, would lead to confusion and uncertainty. The draft boundary neither respects existing communities nor follows the clear physical barriers such as Glenhills Way and Saffron Lane. Aylestone ward as it is at present runs south from the city on either side of Aylestone Road. This provides the backbone for the present ward and gives it geographic and social integrity. The proposed boundary change would break the backbone of the present community as it is proposed to run the boundary right across Aylestone Road at about its midway point. The proposed boundary change would also divide the communication links which run along Aylestone Road serving the community; under the proposed changes two wards would be involved in any activities relating to the communication links rather than the one as at present. At the last review in 2003 the Commission valued Aylestone Road as the spine of the ward and the use of Glenhills Way and Saffron Lane as strong boundaries: “Officers from the LGCE visited the area, and considered that the Labour Group’s proposed Aylestone ward was well linked by the Aylestone Road, which runs through the length of the ward, as well as utilising strong boundaries.” “It was noted, however, that there was broad consensus in this area from all three political groups in relation to the proposed use of Saffron Lane and Glenhills Boulevard as boundaries and the LGCE concurred with this view.” The community in Aylestone is very strong, therefore we thought that it was really important that before we put forward any new proposals we should listen to the views of local people. Local residents in Aylestone told us that although Aylestone is geographically close to Eyres Monsell and Saffron they felt that there were no obvious historical or community links with either of the other two adjacent wards. They felt that the draft proposal took no account of the sense of community that exists in Aylestone. Local residents told us that an artificial line drawn on a map without any proper consideration for the social structures and the local communities would never work. Residents told us that proposal appeared to be insensitive and they believed that the community would be adversely affected by the proposed mergers. Residents said that they did not understand the logic behind the proposal to break up a community which has worked extremely well for very many years. The residents we spoke to said that they did not oppose the suggestion to reunite the Saffron Estate into one ward, but they objected most strongly that this reunification was proposed to take place at the expense of the existing community in Aylestone ward. Local residents said that this was not at all fair. Our proposals for Aylestone ward follow directly from the consultations and meetings we have held with residents and community groups. Our proposed Aylestone Ward We propose a two member Aylestone ward, made-up from the existing Aylestone ward less the area to the south of the A563 Soar Valley Way. We also propose that part of the current Freemen ward to the south-west of a line drawn by the goods railway line, Aylestone Road, Cavendish Road, and Saffron Lane form a new Aylestone ward. While we deeply regret that we propose moving the residents living in the Gilmorton Estate area into Eyres Monsell, but this does allow some streets that were previously in Aylestone and the Aylestone Library building back into a new Aylestone ward. The community in the northern part of the ward did not welcome their move (in the previous review) from Aylestone into Freemen. Our proposal has the benefit and opportunity to reunite this part of the community into one Aylestone ward. Another benefit our proposal has is that it brings all of the catchment area for Granby School into one ward. Our proposed Eyres Monsell Ward Our proposed 2 member Eyres Monsell ward consists of the existing Eyres Monsell ward, less the area of the Saffron Estate to the north of the B5418 Stonesby Avenue, adding the Gilmorton Estate (which is now part of the catchment area for Eyres Monsell primary school) from Aylestone. At the core of the ward is the Eyres Monsell Estate. Its clear simple boundaries also include two sections of the outer ring road – Soar Valley Way and Glenhills Way. Our proposed Saffron and Freemen Ward Our proposed 2 member Saffron and Freemen ward consists of the draft Saffron and Aylestone Park ward, less the areas of Aylestone we propose should be in Aylestone, and less the area to the south of Stonesby Avenue we propose should stay in Eyres Monsell. It has the advantage of reuniting the Saffron Estate without the disadvantage of splitting the community of Aylestone. The unnecessary division of the New Parks Estate Our first concern relates to the draft proposal for the proposed ‘Western’ ward and how it isolates the eastern part of New Parks estate, which comprises Stephenson Drive and Swannington Road, from the rest of its community. Stephenson Drive and Swannington Road were built as part of New Parks estate and, like the rest of the estate, are administered from the New Parks housing office on Aikman Avenue. Residents consider themselves to be part of New Parks and share the same issues, concerns and facilities as the community to their west. Their support networks such as housing officers and maintenance services are those of the estate.