Parish Councils Submissions to the North Somerset Council Electoral Review
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Parish Councils submissions to the North Somerset Council electoral review This PDF document contains 23 submissions from Parish Councils. Some versions of Adobe allow the viewer to move quickly between bookmarks. Click on the submission you would like to view. If you are not taken to that page, please scroll through the document. Cooper, Mark From: Bowden, Tim Sent: 12 March 2014 14:23 To: Cooper, Mark Subject: FW: Proposed boundary changes Tim Bowden Review Manager Local Government Boundary Commission for England Layden House 76-86 Turnmill Street London EC1M 5LG Tel: 020 7664 8514 www.lgbce.org.uk It would help us if you would take a few minutes to answer a few questions about your experience of how we dealt with you. How are we doing? - Click on this link to give us your views From: Backwell Parish Clerk [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 12 March 2014 14:04 To: Reviews@ Subject: Proposed boundary changes Dear Sirs Backwell Parish Council met last Thursday 6th March and discussed the proposed boundary changes. The Council strongly rejected Map B on the basis no community of interest between Backwell and other parts of the proposed ward, and also as the largest community in that proposed ward considered the title of Gordano & Wraxall inappropriate. The Council would prefer to revert to a ward based on Map A with the recommendation that Backwell and Winford combined into a single 2 member ward. Yours faithfully Jane Stone Clerk to Backwell Parish Council 1 Cooper, Mark From: Fuller, Heather Sent: 25 March 2014 13:36 To: Cooper, Mark Subject: FW: Electoral Review of North Somerset: Further Limited Consultation Attachments: BGPC 25-03-14 LGBCE ward boundary comment.pdf From: Barrow Gurney Clerk [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 25 March 2014 13:34 To: Reviews@ Cc: Andy Robbins; Eric and Anne GATES; Geoff Coombs; Lesley Waldron; Rob Mckenzie Subject: Electoral Review of North Somerset: Further Limited Consultation For the attention of the Review Officer (North Somerset) Please find attached, the comments of the Barrow Gurney Parish Council in response to the draft ward boundary recommendations for North Somerset. Thank you for the opportunity to submit representation on this matter and should further information or clarity be required, please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours Sincerely, Joanna van Tonder Clerk to the Barrow Gurney Parish Council 163 BARROW GURNEY PARISH COUNCIL Clerk: Ms Joanna van Tonder Review Officer (North Somerset) Local Government Boundary Commission for England Layden House 76 – 86 Turnmill Street London EC1M 5LG 25 March 2014 Dear Sir / Madam, RE: Electoral Review of North Somerset: Barrow Gurney Parish Council comments on the further limited consultation I refer to the draft recommendations for the ward boundaries of North Somerset and further limited consultation that commenced on 12 February of this year. Barrow Gurney Parish Council is extremely disappointed to see the Boundary Commission's Map B, which appears to overturn the original recommendation (Map A) with which the Council were broadly content. Map B ignores the Council's previous comments and proposes an unacceptable solution in which the scale and population of Long Ashton heavily outweigh the surrounding rural areas. As observed in relation to the original proposals, the Parish Council believes that Barrow Gurney is a rural community, with much in common with the village's rural neighbours. Service links tend to focus on Backwell, which provides rail communication, a secondary school and a leisure centre. The particular development issues that concern the village relate to the growth of Bristol Airport and its associated infrastructure, where Barrow Gurney and parishes surrounding the airport (predominantly Dundry, Winford and Backwell) have common interests. The Parish Council believes that the solution offered by Map A for this immediate area was far preferable to the revised proposal set out in Map B, but a two member constituency which brought together Backwell and Winford would also offer an acceptable solution. Yours Sincerely, Joanna van Tonder Clerk of the Barrow Gurney Parish Council Cooper, Mark From: Fuller, Heather Sent: 25 March 2014 13:24 To: Cooper, Mark Subject: FW: North Somerset Attachments: LGBC recommendations - response ideas.doc From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of parish clerk Sent: 25 March 2014 12:20 To: Reviews@ Subject: North Somerset I attach a response to the consultation on behalf of Blagdon Parish Council. Regards Peter -- Peter Ballantyne Clerk Blagdon Parish Council E: [email protected] W: www.blagdonpc.org.uk If you have problems with waste collections, pot holes or dog fouling you can contact North Somerset Council's Streets and Open Spaces by visiting www.n-somerset.gov.uk/connect to report it online, or ring 01934 888 802. 167 Parish Clerk – Peter Ballantyne 66 Cox Way, Clevedon, North Somerset, BS21 5AD Tel: 01275 349098 Email: [email protected] Review Officer (North Somerset) LGBCE Layden House 76–86 Turnmill Street London EC1M 5LG 25th March 2014 Dear Review Officer, Blagdon Parish Council has reviewed and discussed the “further Limited consultation” documentation produced by the LGBC and strongly opposes the recommendation for a new 3-member Churchill and Wrington Ward. The original draft recommendation to retain the current single member Blagdon and Churchill ward was widely supported, including by all the main political groupings within North Somerset. Given this support, Blagdon Parish Council did not feel it necessary to make any formal submission. We were therefore very surprised to find that major changes were now being proposed to those draft recommendations. In putting forward these changes, the LGBC states that they are being made “in the light of representations received during the consultation”. We have reviewed the representations made in the supporting documentation provided and can find no evidence to justify this position. In fact, the overall reactions to the revised recommendations suggest widespread concern and even greater numbers of objections to these. One of the key justifications for the exercise was to address supposed “electoral inequalities”. From studying the electorate numbers supplied, we consider any changes resulting from the new ward structure to be of minimal impact. To go from a current variance to the North Somerset average of -8% to one of -5% under the proposed regime is hardly significant and cannot justify the major changes and costs involved in establishing and administering this new structure. Blagdon and Churchill parishes have shared interests and facilities. Blagdon Parish Council does not feel that we have any social, educational, commercial or geographic links or affinities with the majority of the Councils that will comprise the proposed “super ward”. If anything, we feel that we will have much less of a voice if subsumed into a large Churchill and Wrington ward, and reduced representation at District and North Somerset levels. At a time when we are being encouraged to become more resilient and a policy of increased localism is actively promoted, we feel that the proposed ward change is the wrong solution. Blagdon Parish Council therefore wishes to lodge its objection to the revised recommendation. It is badly thought through, lacks support and further marginalises the rural parishes in general, and Blagdon in particular. Yours sincerely, Peter Ballantyne Clerk Cooper, Mark From: Fuller, Heather Sent: 24 March 2014 11:40 To: Cooper, Mark Subject: FW: Proposed Churchill & Wrington Ward From: Brockley Parish Council [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 21 March 2014 14:53 To: Reviews@ Subject: Proposed Churchill & Wrington Ward Sirs Brockley Parish Council met on 12 March and discussed the proposed 3‐member Churchill & Wrington Ward (Map B). It was felt Brockley had quite a lot in common with Wrington and Cleeve (Map A) but that making a very large ward would reduce the effectiveness of the district councillor. WE THEREFORE OBJECT TO TO MAP B. We did not object to Map A last September. Yours faithfully Gillian Rowley Clerk 168 Cooper, Mark From: Egan, Helen Sent: 01 April 2014 09:08 To: Cooper, Mark Subject: FW: Electoral Review of North Somerset : Further Limited Consultation Attachments: Boundary_Comm._LGBCE_23.03.doc Hi Mark, Please see the below submission for North Somerset. Regards, Helen From: Teresa Martin [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 31 March 2014 08:27 To: Reviews@ Cc: Paul Keel; Roger Daniels Subject: Electoral Review of North Somerset : Further Limited Consultation Please find attached comments from Burrington Parish Council on the above. A signed copy will be sent in the post today. Kind regards TeresaMartin Clerk to Burrington Parish Council 124 BURRINGTON PARISH COUNCIL CLERK TO BURRINGTON PARISH COUNCIL Email: [email protected] Review Officer (North Somerset) Local Government Boundary Commission for England Layden House 76-86 Turnmill Street London EC1M 5LG by email to [email protected] 23 March 2014 Dear Sir/Madam, ELECTORAL REVIEW OF NORTH SOMERSET: FURTHER LIMITED CONSULTATION I write to conv ey th e comments o f Burri ngton Paris h Council on the Commission’s furth er pro posals for the C hurchill & Wrington Ward under which Bu rrington w ould be o ne o f 9 p arishes in a 3-member war d with a population of 9,722. We u nderstand the d ifficulties o f a chieving b roadly cons istent ratios of electors to district councillors in a mix ed ur ban and r ural area like North Somerset – whi lst r educing th e num ber of d istrict councillors. Ho wever, effective local democracy also depends on having electoral divisions that are small enough to all ow eff ective r elationships to dev elop between d istrict councillors, their electorates and the constituent parishes.