1 SARRATT PARISH COUNCIL Parish Office, Village Hall, The Green, Sarratt, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. WD3 6AS Sarratt Parish Council response to the Local Government Boundary Commission’s Draft Recommendations on new electoral arrangements for Three Rivers District Council (published in April 2013). Sarratt Parish Council (SPC) is disappointed with the draft recommendations concerning Sarratt and Chorleywood. In our view the report fails to meet the three objectives set out in paragraph 4 of the Introduction on page 4 of the report, namely to:‐ ‐ Deliver electoral equality for voters ‐ Reflect the identities and interests of local communities in the area ‐ Provide effective and convenient local government In terms of electoral equality, the current variance for Sarratt’s one member ward is +11%, which would be unchanged under the draft proposals for a 3 member Sarratt / Chorleywood North ward. We note from Appendix A on page 23 that for the District as a whole the variance under the proposals range from 20% (+13% to ‐8%) in 2012 to 19% (+11% to ‐8%) in 2018. The division of communities for superficial reasons (such as the railway line) is merely a device to emak up numbers and has no other foundation. The report does recognise that Sarratt Parish has distinct characteristics in being the only truly rural parish in Three Rivers District, but then proposes its inclusion in a 3 member ward where the number of Chorleywood residents would out‐number Sarratt residents 2 to 1. The resulting ward would be the second largest with a variance of +11%. In the community survey carried out as part of the work associated with the production of the 2012 Sarratt Parish Plan, over 400 households identified very poor broadband availability and virtually no mobile 2 phone coverage as the highest priority. In Chorleywood these problems do not feature. This is a clear example of the very different priorities faced these two communities. SPC suggests that there are alternative and viable ward structures which would properly reflect the important community interests and identities. The formation of a one member ward for Sarratt (or Maple Cross) does not necessarily impact on Rickmansworth and Moor Park as suggested in the report. Two possible solutions are suggested below, which would deal with the consequences of recognising Sarratt Parish as a clearly established separate community:‐ Proposal 1 Sarratt would be a one member ward. Chorleywood (Village) could be a three member ward. Maple Cross would be a one member ward. The remainder of Chorleywood North would be a one member ward called Rickmansworth North. Proposal 2 Again Sarratt would be a one member ward. Maple Cross could be joined with Penn/Mill End and that part of Penn/Mill End and Rickmansworth that is in Chorleywood Parish could be joined with Chorleywood North as a 2 member ward. SPC recognises the problems in making the electoral representation and workload of councillors as even as practical. However, the division of communities and the overwhelming of minorities is an outcome to be avoided as a matter of high priority. SPC firmly believes that the current ward boundary for Sarratt should remain unchanged and that this parish should continue to be represented by a single District Councillor to effectively represent our residents. 7-07-2013 .