Final Recommendations on the Future Electoral Arrangements for South Hams in Devon
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR SOUTH HAMS IN DEVON 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 South Hams in Devon. 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 13 6 NEXT STEPS 33 APPENDICES A Final Recommendations for South Hams: 35 Detailed Mapping B Draft Recommendations for 43 South Hams (May 1997) 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 began a periodic electoral review of the district of South Hams under the Local Government Act 1992. We published our draft recommendations for electoral arrangements on 28 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 substantially confirmed our draft recommendations, although some modifications have been made (see paragraph 115) in the light of further evidence. This report sets out our final recommendations for changes to electoral arrangements in South Hams. We recommend that South Hams District Council should be served by 40 councillors representing 30 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 together every four years. I would like to thank members and officers of the District 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 South Hams These recommendations seek to ensure that the on 25 October 1996. We published our draft number of electors represented by each district recommendations for electoral arrangements on 28 councillor is as nearly as possible the same, having May 1997, after which we undertook an eight- regard to local circumstances. week period of consultation. ● In 25 of the 30 wards, the number of ● This report summarises the representations electors per councillor would vary by no we have received during consultation on our more than 10 per cent from the district draft recommendations, and offers our final average. recommendations to the Secretary of State. ● By 2001, the number of electors per We found that the existing electoral arrangements councillor is projected to vary by no more provide exceptionally unequal representation of than 10 per cent from the average in 26 electors in South Hams because: wards; while one ward would have an electoral variance over 20 per cent. ● in 25 of the 34 wards, the number of electors represented by each councillor varies Recommendations are also made for changes to by more than 10 per cent from the average parish and town council electoral arrangements. for the district; They provide for: ● in 15 wards, the number of electors ● revised warding arrangements for Totnes represented by each councillor varies by and Dartmouth town councils; and more than 20 per cent from the average, two of which vary by 80 per cent or more; ● new warding arrangements for Ivybridge and Kingsbridge town councils and South ● there is unlikely to be any improvement in Brent and Berry Pomeroy parish councils. electoral equality by 2001. Our main final recommendations for future All further correspondence on these electoral arrangements (Figure 1) are that: recommendations and the matters discussed in this report should be ● South Hams District Council should be addressed to the Secretary of State for the served by 40 councillors, compared with 44 Environment, Transport and the Regions, at present; who will not make an Order implementing the Commission’s recommendations before ● there should be 30 wards, four fewer than at 16 December 1997: present; The Secretary of State ● the boundaries of 25 of the existing wards Local Government Review should be modified, while nine wards should Department of the Environment, retain their existing boundaries; Transport and the Regions Eland House ● elections should continue to take place every Bressenden Place four years. London SW1E 5DU LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND vii Figure 1: The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Constituent Areas Ward name Number of Constituent areas Map reference councillors 1 Allington and 1 Avonleigh ward (part – the parishes Map 2 Loddiswell of Loddiswell and Woodleigh); West Dart ward (part – Halwell and Moreleigh parish); Garabrook ward (part – East Allington parish) 2 Avon and 1 Unchanged (the parishes of North Map 2 Harbourne Huish, Diptford and Harberton) 3 Bickleigh and Shaugh 2 Unchanged (the parishes of Map 2 Bickleigh and Shaugh Prior) 4 Charterlands 1 Unchanged (the parishes of Map 2 Kingston, Ringmore, Bigbury and Aveton Gifford) 5 Cornwood and 1 Sparkwell ward (Sparkwell parish); Map 2 Sparkwell Cornwood and Harford ward (the Sparkwell parishes of Cornwood and Harford) 6 Dartington 1 Unchanged (Dartington parish) Map 2 7 Dartmouth and 3 Dartmouth Hardness district and Large map Kingswear parish ward (part); Dartmouth Clifton district and parish ward; Kingswear ward (Kingswear parish) 8 Dartmouth Townstal 1 Dartmouth Hardness district and Large map parish ward (part) 9 East Dart 1 Dart Valley ward (part – Littlehemp- Map 2 ston parish, Village ward of Berry Pomeroy parish as proposed); Stoke Gabriel ward (Stoke Gabriel parish) 10 Eastmoor 1 South Brent ward (part – Brentmoor of Maps 2 and South Brent parish as proposed); East- A7 moor ward (the parishes of Holne, West Buckfastleigh, Dean Prior and Rattery); Dart Valley ward (part – Staverton parish) 11 Erme Valley 2 Erme Valley ward (the parishes of Map 2 Ermington and Holbeton); Modbury ward (Modbury parish); Ugborough ward (Ugborough parish) 12 Ivybridge Central 1 Ivybridge district ward and parish (part) Maps 2 and A5 13 Ivybridge Filham 2 Ivybridge district ward and parish (part) Maps 2 and A6 viii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Figure 1 (continued): The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Constituent Areas 14 Ivybridge Woodlands 2 Ivybridge district ward and parish (part) Maps 2 and A5 15 Kingsbridge East 1 Kingsbridge district ward and parish (part) Maps 2 and A4 16 Kingsbridge North 1 Kingsbridge district ward and parish (part) Maps 2 and A4 17 Marldon 1 Unchanged (Marldon parish) Map 2 18 Newton and Noss 1 Unchanged (Newton and Noss parish) Map 2 19 Salcombe and 2 Malborough ward (the parishes of Marlborough Malborough and South Huish); Salcombe ward (Salcombe parish) Map 2 20 Saltstone 1 Unchanged (Chivelstone, East Portlemouth, South Pool, Charleton and Frogmore and Sherford parishes) Map 2 21 Skerries 1 Skerries ward (the parishes of Stoke Fleming and Strete); Garabrook ward (part – Slapton parish) Map 2 22 South Brent 1 South Brent ward (part – Village ward Map A7 of South Brent parish as proposed) 23 Stokenham 1 Unchanged (Stokenham parish) Map 2 24 Thurlestone 1 Thurlestone ward (part – the parishes Map 2 of Thurlestone and South Milton); Avonleigh ward (part – the parishes of Churchstow and Buckland-Tout-Saints) 25 Totnes Bridgetown 2 Totnes Bridgetown district ward; Maps 2 and Totnes district ward (part); Dart Valley A2 ward (part – Bridgetown ward of Berry Pomeroy parish as proposed) 26 Totnes Town 2 Totnes district and parish ward (part) Map 2 27 Wembury and Brixton 2 Brixton ward (Brixton parish); Map 2 Wembury ward (Wembury parish) 28 West Dart 1 West Dart ward (part – the parishes of Map 2 Ashprington, Cornworthy and Dittisham parishes); Garabrook ward (part – Blackawton parish) 29 Westville and 1 Kingsbridge district ward and parish Maps 2, A3 Alvington (part); Thurlestone ward (part – West and A4 Alvington parish) 30 Yealmpton 1 Unchanged (Yealmpton parish) Map 2 Note: The whole of South Hams district is parished. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ix x 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 district of publication of our report, Draft Recommendations South Hams in Devon. We plan to commence the on the Future Electoral Arrangements for South Hams review of the other districts in Devon later this year in Devon and ended on 22 July 1997. Comments as part of our programme of periodic electoral were sought on our preliminary conclusions. reviews of all principal local authority areas in Finally, during Stage Four we reconsidered our England. draft recommendations in the light of the Stage Three consultation and now publish our final 2 In undertaking these reviews, we have had recommendations. regard to: ● the statutory criteria in section 13(5) of the Local Government Act 1992; and ● the Rules to be Observed in Considering Electoral Arrangements in Schedule 11 to the Local Government Act 1972.