The Review Officer (Harborough) Local Government Boundary Commission for England 14th Floor Millbank Tower Millbank London SW1P 4QP e-mail [email protected] 6th January 2017 Please find below and attached the submission by Kibworth Harcourt Parish Council in response to the Local Government Boundary Commission of England (LGBCE) Electoral Review of Harborough District Council 2016/17. LGBCE Objectives of the Review The aim of the electoral review is to recommend ward boundaries that mean each councillor represents approximately the same number of voters, i.e. electoral equality. The Commission also announced that it is minded to recommend that Harborough District Council should have 34 councillors in the future, a reduction of 3 from 37. Submission by Kibworth Harcourt Parish Council (KHPC) The proposed ward arrangements are based on the primary objectives of the LGBCE and to ensure electoral equality as well as maximising community cohesion. KHPC have studied the criteria set down for making submissions as to boundary changes within the Harborough District Council area and would propose the following (see appended map and spreadsheet analyses) for those Wards either adjacent to, or within the sphere of influence of the two Kibworth parishes. We would define this sphere by the availability of shopping, healthcare, educational & leisure facilities and the general drift of outlying populations thereto taking into consideration highways and transport links. KHPC has also examined the submission by Harborough District Council so have ensured that our own proposals are based on the same electoral numbers as those of HDC. On the KHPC proposed Ward spreadsheets (attached) we have accounted for these differentials by adding a row in red showing new or lost electors without allocating them to Parish level. Our electorate data thus matches that of HDC. We also propose ward names as shown on the attached spreadsheets including the introduction of new names for the Kibworths and Billesdon & Tilton Wards. Kibworths Ward KIBWORTH BEAUCHAMP SMEETON WESTERBY WEST LANGTON EAST LANGTON THORPE LANGTON KIBWORTH HARCOURT SHANGTON TUR LANGTON CARLTON CURLIEU The two Kibworth parishes together now make up the fourth largest settlement in the district behind Market Harborough, Broughton Astley and Lutterworth. Despite there being two distinct parishes – Kibworth Harcourt and Kibworth Beauchamp, previous strategic plans (e.g. HDC Core Strategy 2011) have described the two Kibworth parishes as a single settlement known as “Kibworth” but this has now changed. Leicestershire County Council and Kibworth Harcourt Parish Council submission Page 1 of 4 January, 2017 Electoral Review of Harborough District Council 2016/17 Harborough District Council now refer to the settlement as the “Kibworths” in current strategic planning documents. The two Kibworth Parish Councils are in the final stages of producing a joint Kibworths Neighbourhood Plan. It is therefore logical that the new proposed name covering these two parishes reflects the community and planning documentation going forward, i.e. Kibworths Ward. We totally reject the HDC submission for separate Beauchamp (2 member) and Harcourt (1 member) wards and to, in effect, remove the Kibworths identity. This proposal by HDC would be counter to the key objective of community cohesion. As mentioned above, the two parish councils collaborate on many areas including the joint Neighbourhood Plan, plus Joint Recreation and Joint Burial Committees. The largest planning application in the parishes for 660 houses (Kibworth Meadows estate known as KB/1 from HDC Local Plan) is due for completion in 2017 and although the majority of the new houses lie within Kibworth Harcourt, those on the new Longbreach and Bush Roads, and several on Barnards Way, lie within Kibworth Beauchamp parish. The Anglican parish church of St Wilfrid’s lies in Kibworth Beauchamp parish, but within the Kibworth Harcourt Conservation Area. The current 3 member ward includes Smeeton Westerby and the Langton parishes (Tur Langton, Thorpe Langton, West Langton, East Langton and Shangton), and the Kibworths are the nearest rural centre for shopping, healthcare, schools (primary and high), post office, library, leisure and other services. Carlton Curlieu lies within the Glen Ward currently, yet lies less than 2 miles from Kibworth Harcourt and residents preferentially use the facilities in the Kibworths rural centre rather than Great Glen. Farmers in Carlton Curlieu farm land in Kibworth Harcourt parish on Carlton Road. For the Kibworths, it is felt by KHPC (formal motion in January 2017) and by an informal joint meeting of both Kibworth parish councils held in November 2016, that, rather than splitting District Councillors across two wards, three Councillors, as now, would better serve the communities within the Ward by offering their services across the whole Ward according to their expertise and their roles within the District Council. We therefore feel it is critical for community cohesion and identity that the two Kibworths lie within the same district ward and the electorate numbers mean this will require 3 councillors as now. Billesdon & Tilton Ward BILLESDON FRISBY ROLLESTON TUGBY & KEYTHORPE WITHCOTE LODDINGTON LAUNDE SKEFFINGTON TILTON & HALSTEAD LOWESBY MAREFIELD OWSTON & NEWBOLD COLD NEWTON On the grounds of community identity, we feel it is important to retain the Billesdon name within the ward name. Billesdon is the largest community in this part of the district with important community facilities including a primary school, post office and a community centre. The Billesdon Neighbourhood Plan was the second to be made in the district following a referendum in 2014. Tilton has very few community facilities and a Neighbourhood Plan has not begun. However, as the new proposed ward includes much of the old Tilton ward it is logical to include this in the name to support community identity for residents. The Billesdon & Tilton Ward electorate numbers would mean a single District Councillor. Kibworth Harcourt Parish Council submission Page 2 of 4 January, 2017 Electoral Review of Harborough District Council 2016/17 Glen Ward BURTON OVERY GREAT GLEN LITTLE STRETTON WISTOW KINGS NORTON GAULBY ILLSTON on the HILL The KHPC proposal for the new Glen Ward builds on the current ward boundaries but would include the neighbouring parishes of Kings Norton, Gaulby and Illston on the Hill. This is in line with the objective for maximising community cohesion but the addition of these parishes ensures the electorate number for the ward is close to the average per councillor based on 34 councillors for the district, so supporting electorate equality. Carlton Curlieu parish would be moved from the current Glen Ward to the Kibworths Ward. The Glen Ward would retain 2 District Councillors for this enlarged ward. Nevill Ward ALLEXTON BLASTON BRINGHURST DRAYTON GREAT EASTON HALLATON HORNINGHOLD MEDBOURNE NEVILL HOLT SLAWSTON WELHAM CRANOE STOCKERSTON GLOOSTON STONTON WYVILLE NOSELEY GOADBY This proposed ward includes the majority of parishes in rural east Harborough District. Many of the parishes have very few residents, but all lie to the east of the B6047 road between Market Harborough and Melton Mowbray. All also lie south of the A47 Leicester to Uppingham road. Despite the rural nature of these parishes, the borders drawn by these two roads gives a measure of community cohesion. Although the proposed ward includes all of the current parishes, it would also include some from the old Billesdon Ward, i.e. those to the east of B6047. The electorate numbers for the proposed Nevill Ward would support a single District Councillor. Fleckney Ward FLECKNEY SADDINGTON Kibworth Harcourt Parish Council submission Page 3 of 4 January, 2017 Electoral Review of Harborough District Council 2016/17 ARNESBY SHEARSBY KNAPTOFT MOWSLEY The proposed ward now includes some neighbouring parishes, especially Saddington, which lies just over a mile from the centre of Fleckney. A current planning application on Fleckney Road, Saddington for some 290 houses is waiting to be determined, but the plans show it lies in the green space land directly adjacent to Fleckney village limits of development. This supports the community cohesion objective of this review. Both Fleckney and Saddington parishes are carrying out Neighbourhood Plans. The inclusion of the other parishes, Arnesby, Shearsby, Knaptoft and Mowsley are because all lie within the sphere of influence of Fleckney as a rural centre. The electorate numbers for this proposed Fleckney Ward means it would retain two District Councillors. Lubenham Ward FOXTON GUMLEY LAUGHTON LUBENHAM THEDDINGWORTH The only change to the existing ward is the movement of the Saddington parish to the Fleckney Ward as explained above. The Lubenham Ward has a large housing development already given outline planning permission between Lubenham and Foxton. By 2022, it is expected that around 500 houses of this development will have been completed. Despite the large housing development, the electorate numbers to 2022 mean this ward would still require a single District Councillor. Thurnby & Houghton Ward SCRAPTOFT HOUGHTON THURNBY & BUSHBY #1 THURNBY & BUSHBY #2 STOUGHTON KEYHAM HUNGARTON The only proposed change to the existing Thurnby & Houghton Ward is the inclusion of the Hungarton and Keyham parishes. These two small parishes lie just north of Houghton on the Hill and residents look to both Houghton on the Hill and the Scraptoft, Thurnby parishes.