Somerset County Council Electoral Review submission November 2011 For further information contact : Julian Gale Community Governance Resources Directorate County Hall, Taunton. Somerset. TA1 4DY. Tel: 01823 355025 Email :
[email protected] 1 AN ELECTORAL SCHEME FOR SOMERSET Submission by Somerset County Council 1 Introduction 1.1 This submission sets out the Council’s response to the LGBCE’s first consultation stage on division patterns in the electoral review of Somerset County Council. This was on the back of the ‘minded to recommend a Council size of 55 members for Somerset County Council’ decision of the Commission set out in their letter of 23 August 2011 to the Council. 1.2 The Council welcomed the Commission’s decision concerning the Council’s proposal on Council size and the opportunity to submit proposals for division arrangements. 1.3 The Council’s submission has been developed by a cross-party group (referred to elsewhere in this submission as the Electoral Review Task & Finish Group) of county councillors meeting with delegated authority from the Council to oversee the Council’s input into the electoral review process. The Council further delegated responsibility to the Chief Executive to submit the Council’s submission for an electoral scheme for Somerset. 1.4 It is hoped that the LGBCE supports the Council’s submission as the basis for formal consultation during 2012 and for subsequent approval in time for their adoption and use for the next County Council elections in May 2013. 2. Process used to arrive at the Council’s submission 2.1 The submission has been informed by:- • Individual councillors’ views in response to invitations to input into the process individually and collectively on a district by district basis; • Informal feedback from officers of the LGBCE on interim proposals submitted by the County Council.