Town Council 55 High Street, Selsey, West , PO20 0RB

Review Officer () Local Government Boundary Commission for 14th Floor Millbank Tower Millbank SW1P 4QP

19th September 2016

Dear Sirs

ELECTORAL REVIEW OF CHICHESTER: DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS

Further to your correspondence of 16th August 2016, Selsey Town Council has considered the draft recommendations pertaining to electoral arrangements for Selsey parish at its Full Council meeting of 14th September 2016.

The LGBCE’s comments that Selsey is already warded under the current electoral arrangements and whilst acknowledging the concerns about warding the north area of Selsey with that their tour of the area had confirmed that the two parishes share reasonable road links were noted. The Boundary Commission advised that they were therefore adopting the two‐ member wards of and Sidlesham with as part of their draft recommendations. The draft recommendations were discussed by Selsey Town Council with the Members in general accord that the proposals would disadvantage Sidlesham parish through weight of numbers and that the two communities had totally different issues and priorities and would not therefore be adequately represented by one shared District Councillor. We also consider that the proposal fails to meet the Commission’s own key criteria, namely “That the pattern of wards should, as far as possible, reflect the interests and identities of local communities.” It was therefore resolved that STC request the withdrawal of the Local Government Boundary Commission England’s draft recommendation to link Sidlesham and Selsey North into one ward as they were diverse and distinct communities.

Selsey Town Council further noted that as a result of their proposed ward boundaries and having regard to the statutory criteria set out in schedule 2 to the 2009 Act, the LGBCE were providing revised parish electoral arrangements for Selsey Town Council. The LGBCE’s draft recommendation was that Selsey Town Council should comprise 14 councillors, as at present, representing two wards: Selsey North (returning six councillors) and Selsey South (returning eight councillors). This was a reversal of the current arrangements whereby Selsey North returns eight councillors and Selsey South six. Selsey Town Council resolved that, in line with