Leicester City Liberal Democrats 8 November 2013 Alison Evison Review Manager Local Government Boundary Commission for England Layden House 76-86 Turnmill Street London EC1M 5LG Dear Ms Evison Liberal Democrat Proposals for the Electoral Review for the City of Leicester Please find enclosed our proposals for a city-wide scheme for this stage of the review. We hope that the Commission will find our work thus far useful. Where we have used whole polling districts as building blocks for proposed wards, we are sure of our electorate figures. Where we have divided polling districts, while we have attempted accuracy, we would ask that you check, and if necessary amend, our figures. Even where the 2012 electorate figures are correct, the 2019 figures will need amendment. If you have any questions, or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Yours sincerely Alan Fox Vice-Chair Leicester City Liberal Democrats cc. David Owen, Review Officer Liberal Democrat Proposals for the Electoral Review for the City of Leicester In putting forward a city-wide scheme of proposed wards at this stage of the electoral review, Leicester City Liberal Democrats aim to assist the Local Government Boundary Commission in its work. We have started out by looking at communities and neighbourhoods. Then we have tried to create around them, compact wards with good internal communications and strong boundaries. Some of the bigger neighbourhoods are too large for a single member ward, but none are so enormous that they need a three member ward. Some communities are just the right size for a single member ward. We have therefore come up with a scheme of one member and two member wards throughout the city. We propose 14 single member wards and 20 two member wards. These would replace the existing 12 two member wards and 10 three member wards, bringing elected representatives closer to local people. We are certain that our scheme can be improved. We are sure that it can be of use to the Commission as it moves on to the next stage of the review. Proposed Wards The names we have assigned to our proposed wards are provisional. We believe that local communities are best placed to name their local wards. Abbey: one member The current three member Abbey ward extends from the central ring road north to the city boundary with Birstall. We propose a much more compact single member ward consisting of the ABE and ABF polling districts together with that part of the FSA polling district to the east of Blackbird Road. The northern boundary runs along Beaumont Leys Lane and Corporation Road. The boundary with Fosse is diverted from Devonshire Road and St. Margaret’s Way to run along Blackbird Road and Ravensbridge Drive. Aylestone: two members We propose no change to the current Aylestone ward. Beaumont Leys North: one member The Beaumont Leys estate is divided in two by the Gorse Hill industrial estate and the retail shopping centre. We propose to reflect this division in our proposed wards. Our proposed Beaumont Leys North ward consists of the BLA, BLB and BLC polling districts and lies entirely outside the outer ring road. Beaumont Leys South: one member Our proposed Beaumont Leys South ward consists of the BLD, BLF, BLG and BLI polling districts and, with the exception of the Amadis Road area which is linked to the rest of Beaumont Leys South by a pedestrian subway, lies inside the outer ring road. Belgrave: two members We propose no change to the current Belgrave ward. Braunstone Frith: one member The current New Parks ward is covoluted and contains two distinct neighbourhoods – New Parks and Braunstone Frith. Our proposed Braunstone Frith ward consists of the NPA and NPB polling districts, together with that part of the NPC polling district to the south of Dominion Road. Braunstone Park: two members The current Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields ward contains the distinct neighbourhoods named in its title. It uses Narborough Road as a boundary where it is a local shopping centre, but crosses it further south where it is a dual carriageway and a barrier to communication. Our proposed Braunstone Park ward consists of the BFA, BFB, BFC and BFE polling districts. Castle: two members The current Castle ward lacks coherent definition. We propose a more compact ward along the banks of the River Soar and to the west of Welford Road. Our proposed ward consists of the CAB polling district from Castle, the WCC polling district from Westcotes and that part of the FMA polling district from Freemen which is to the west of Saffron Lane. Charnwood: one member The current Charnwood ward extends north from the Charnwood estate on the Humberstone Road to take in part of the neighbourhood of Northfields. We propose a much more compact ward composed of the CWC polling district, together with that part of the COB polling district from Coleman to the west of Baggrave Street. Clarendon Park: one member Clarendon Park is a distinct community in the current Castle ward. Its shopping centre is Queens Road and its northern boundary is Victoria Park Road. Our proposed ward consists of the CAC and CAD polling districts. Clocktower: one member Our proposed Clocktower ward consists of the city centre within the central ring road, including New Town, and the area around the University of Leicester bounded by London Road, Victoria Park Road, Welford Road and the central ring road. It consists of most of the CAA polling district. Coleman: two members Our proposed Coleman ward is largely unchanged, losing a part of the COB polling district to Charnwood. Evington: two members We propose no change to the current Evington ward. Evington Valley: two members The current Stoneygate ward does not include the core of Stoneygate. It is instead centred on Evington Road and includes most of South Highfields. Our proposed Evington Valley ward consists of the STB, STC and STD polling districts, that part of the STE polling district to the west of Holmfield Road and Roundhill Road and the SHF polling district from Spinney Hills. Eyres Monsell: two members We propose no change to the current Eyres Monsell ward. Fosse: two members Our proposed Fosse ward is largely unchanged, losing a part of the FSA polling district to Abbey. Highfields: two members Highfields is the biggest neighbourhood in the current Spinney Hills ward. Our proposed Highfields ward consists of the SHB, SHC and SHD polling districts. Its western boundary is the railway line; its eastern is Mere Road. Humberstone and Hamilton: two members The current Humberstone and Hamilton ward consists of three distinct communities – Humberstone, Hamilton and Nether Hall. Our proposed ward includes only Humberstone and Hamilton and consists of the HHA, HHB and HHC polling districts. Knighton: two members The current Knighton ward covers more than Knighton. Our proposed ward does not include the separate community of West Knighton to the west or the heart of Stoneygate to the east. It consists of the KNB, KNC, KNE and KNF polling districts. Knighton Fields: two members The current Freemen ward is awkwardly divided by the railway line with only three crossing points. We had hoped to be able to use the railway line as a boundary between two one member wards, but the numbers make this difficult. We have been able to increase the number of crossing points to four. Our proposed ward includes the Saffron estate and Knighton Fields and takes in the neighbourhood of West Knighton. It consists of the FMB, FMC and FMD polling districts, together with that part of the FMA polling district to the east of Saffron Lane, joined by the KNA polling district from Knighton. We propose the name change since an even smaller proportion of Freemen’s Common is included in our proposed ward than in the current one. Latimer: two members The current Latimer ward is centred on Belgrave Road but extends to the railway line and Dysart Way. We propose a more compact ward which has Catherine Street as its eastern boundary and the northern edge of the Sainsburys retail estate extending on to Catherine Street between Stubbs Road and Southey Close as its southern one. Nether Hall: one member Nether Hall is a distinct community currently part of the Humberstone and Hamilton ward. Our proposed ward consists of the HHD and HHE polling districts. New Parks: two members Once New Parks no longer includes Braunstone Frith, it is much more compact. The obvious solution is then to add Newfoundpool, but this would then have knock on effects through Fosse, Abbey and Beaumont Leys. Our proposed New Parks ward therefore consists of the NPD, NPE and NPF polling districts, that part of the NPC polling district not included in Braunstone Frith, and the BLH polling district from Beaumont Leys. This polling district consists of the Glenfrith estate and Glenfields Hospital and is really only accessible from the outer ring road. It is as easily accessible from New Parks as from Beaumont Leys. Northfields: two members The neighbourhood of Northfields is currently divided between the Charnwood and Rushey Mead wards. Our proposals unite it at the centre of a ward that has the railway line as its western boundary. It consists of the CWA, CWB, RME and RMF polling districts. Rowley Fields: one member Our proposed Rowley Fields ward is compact and has strong boundaries including the railway line and the dual carriageway Narborough Road. It consists of the BFD and BFF polling districts from Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields and the WCD polling district from Westcotes. Rushey Mead: two members The current Rushey Mead ward extends beyond the neighbourhood of that name.