Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for Crewe & Nantwich in Cheshire
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR CREWE & NANTWICH IN CHESHIRE Report to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions June 1998 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND This report sets out the Commission’s final recommendations on the electoral arrangements for Crewe & Nantwich. Members of the Commission are: Professor Malcolm Grant (Chairman) Helena Shovelton (Deputy Chairman) Peter Brokenshire Professor Michael Clarke Robin Gray Bob Scruton David Thomas OBE Mike Ridler (Acting Chief Executive) ©Crown Copyright 1998 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. This report is printed on recycled paper. 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 31 APPENDICES A Final Recommendations for Crewe & Nantwich: Detailed Mapping 33 B Draft Recommendations for Crewe & Nantwich (February 1998) 41 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND iii iv LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Local Government Commission for England 2 June 1998 Dear Secretary of State On 3 June 1997, the Commission began a periodic electoral review of the borough of Crewe & Nantwich under the Local Government Act 1992. We published our draft recommendations for electoral arrangements on 3 February 1998 and undertook a nine-week period of consultation. We have now prepared our final recommendations in the light of the consultation. We have substantially confirmed our draft recommendations, although some modifications have been made (see paragraph 106) in the light of further evidence. We recommend that Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council should be served by 56 councillors representing 27 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 elections should continue to take place 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 Crewe & ● In 25 of the 27 wards, the number of Nantwich on 3 June 1997. We published our draft electors per councillor would vary by no recommendations for electoral arrangements on 3 more than 10 per cent from the borough February 1998, after which we undertook a nine- average. week period of consultation. ● This improved electoral equality is forecast ● This report summarises the representations to continue, with the number of electors per we have received during consultation on our councillor in 26 of the 27 wards expected to draft recommendations, and offers our final vary by no more than 10 per cent from the recommendations to the Secretary of State. average for the borough by 2002. We found that the existing electoral arrangements Recommendations are also made for changes to provide unequal representation of electors in parish and town council electoral arrangements. Crewe & Nantwich because: They provide for: ● in 16 of the 26 wards, the number of ● revised warding arrangements for Nantwich electors represented by each councillor varies Town Council and Wistaston Parish by more than 10 per cent from the average Council; for the borough; ● new warding arrangements for Shavington ● in seven wards, the number of electors cum Gresty, Willaston and Minshull & represented by each councillor varies by District parish councils; more than 20 per cent from the average; ● an increase in the number of parish ● this level of electoral equality is not expected councillors for Wybunbury parish. to improve over the next five years. Our main final recommendations for future All further correspondence on these electoral arrangements (Figure 1 and paragraphs recommendations and the matters discussed 105 to 106) are that: in this report should be addressed to the Secretary of State for the Environment, ● Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council Transport and the Regions, who will should be served by 56 councillors, one not make an Order implementing the fewer than at present; Commission’s recommendations before 13 July 1998: ● there should be 27 wards, compared with 26 at present; The Secretary of State ● the boundaries of 24 wards should be Local Government Review modified, while two wards should retain Department of the Environment, their existing boundaries; Transport and the Regions ● elections should continue to take place by Eland House thirds. Bressenden Place London SW1E 5DU 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 Acton 1 Acton ward (part – the parishes of Map 2 Burland, Hurleston, Stoke, Henhull, Acton and Edleston); Combermere ward (part – the parishes of Sound, Baddington and Broomhall); Wybunbury ward (part – the parishes of Austerson and Coole Pilate) 2 Alexandra 3 Alexandra ward; St John’s ward (part); Large map (in Crewe) Ruskin Park ward (part); Shavington ward and Map A7 (part – Gresty Brook ward of Shavington cum Gresty parish as proposed) 3 Audlem 2 Audlem ward (the parishes of Audlem Map 2 and Buerton); Combermere ward (part – the parishes of Newhall and Dodcott cum Wilkesley); Wybunbury ward (part – Hankelow parish) 4 Barony Weaver 3 Barony Weaver ward (part – Barony Maps 2 and A2 (in Nantwich) ward (part) and Weaver ward (part) of Nantwich Town Council); Wellington ward (part – Wellington ward (part) of Nantwich Town Council); Willaston West ward (part – Willaston ward (part) of Nantwich Town Council) 5 Birchin 2 Willaston West ward (part – Willaston Maps 2 and A2 (in Nantwich) ward (part) of Nantwich Town Council); Wellington ward (part – Wellington ward (part) of Nantwich Town Council) 6 Bunbury 1 Unchanged (the parishes of Alpraham, Map 2 Bunbury, Calveley and Wardle) 7 Coppenhall 2 Coppenhall ward (part); Grosvenor Large map (in Crewe) ward (part) 8 Delamere 2 Delamere ward (part); Grosvenor Large map (in Crewe) ward (part) and Map A6 9 Englesea 1 Weston Park ward (part – the parishes Maps 2 and A5 of Basford and Weston); Haslington ward (part – the parishes of Crewe Green and Barthomley and Oakhanger ward of Haslington parish) 10 Grosvenor 2 Grosvenor ward (part) Large map (in Crewe) and Map A6 11 Haslington 3 Haslington ward (part – Haslington Maps 2 and A5 Village and Winterley wards of Haslington parish) viii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Figure 1 (continued): The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 12 Leighton 3 Minshull ward (part – Leighton Urban Large map ward of Leighton parish as proposed); Coppenhall ward (part) 13 Maw Green 3 Maw Green ward; Coppenhall ward Large map (in Crewe) (part); Delamere ward (part) 14 Minshull 1 Minshull ward (part – the parishes of Map 2 and Wettenhall, Cholmondeston, Aston Large map Juxta Mondrum, Church Minshull, Minshull Vernon and Warmingham and Leighton Rural ward of Leighton parish as proposed); Acton ward (part – the parishes of Poole and Worleston) 15 Peckforton 1 Peckforton ward (the parishes of Map 2 Bickerton, Egerton, Bulkeley, Ridley, Peckforton, Spurstow, Haughton, Brindley and Faddiley); Wrenbury ward (part – the parishes of Cholmondeley and Chorley) 16 St Barnabas 3 St Barnabas ward (including Large map (in Crewe) Woolstanwood parish); Grosvenor ward (part); Queen’s Park ward (part); Coppenhall ward (part) 17 St John’s 3 Ruskin Park ward (part); St John’s Large map (in Crewe) ward (part) and Map A7 18 St Mary’s 2 Willaston East ward (part – Willaston Maps A3, A4 (in Wistaston) North ward of Willaston parish as and large map proposed); Wistaston ward (part – St Mary’s ward and Wells Green ward (part) of Wistaston parish) 19 Shavington 2 Shavington ward (part – Shavington Map 2 Village ward of Shavington cum Gresty parish as proposed) 20 Valley 2 St John’s ward (part); Ruskin Park Large map (in Crewe) ward (part); Queen’s Park ward (part); Delamere ward (part) 21 Waldron 3 Unchanged Large map (in Crewe) continued overleaf LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ix Figure 1 (continued): The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 22 Wellington 2 Wellington ward (part – Wellington Maps 2 and A2 (in Nantwich) ward (part) of Nantwich Town Council); Barony Weaver ward (part – Barony ward (part) and Weaver ward (part) of Nantwich Town Council) 23 Wells Green 2 Shavington ward (part – Rope parish); Large map (in Wistaston) Wistaston ward (part – Wells Green and Map A3