North Oxfordshire Conservative Association Cherwell Boundary Review Consultation Response We wholly endorse the draft boundaries produced by the Cherwell District Council Boundary Review Group. We recognise that change is necessary in order to comply with statutory rules regarding the size and composition of wards. It is our firm belief that this draft proposal provides the best opportunity for achieving strong local government and urge the commission to endorse it in full. GENERAL COMMENTS During the council size phase of the review, Cherwell District Council requested that the number of Councillors be reduced to 48 and that election by thirds be retained. The LGBCE have therefore stated that a uniform pattern of three member wards ought to be used. We believe that a uniform pattern of wards is the best solution for the District. If any exceptions were to be made it could lead to confusion amongst electors, and electors in any exception ward would be denied the opportunity to participate in democracy as frequently as electors from other areas. Parish and Town Council areas have not been divided between wards, except in cases where the Council area is too large to fit within a single ward; and therefore only Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington have been split. Some parishes have needed to be added to Bicester and Kidlington in order to achieve acceptable electoral equality. The District has then been split into five distinct warding areas; Banbury Town, Greater Bicester, Greater Kidlington, Northern Rural and Southern Rural. We agree that parishes should not be split between wards, except in cases where the parish is too large to be contained within a single ward. We support the use of each of the warding areas: • We support keeping Banbury Town as a self-contained warding area. There is no need to include neighbouring parishes in order to achieve electoral equality and therefore we believe that the Town Council boundary is a logical divider for this warding area. • The Bicester Town Council area is too big to support three wards and is not large enough for four wards, therefore some neighbouring parishes would be required in order to achieve electoral equality. The proposed Greater Bicester Warding Area consists of Bicester Town and the parishes of Ambrosden, Bucknell, Caversfield and Chesterton which are located on the extremities of the Town Council boundary. Given the Eco-Town development to the north of Bicester, and the Kingsmere and Graven Hill developments in the south we envisage that these parishes will be working closely with Bicester Town Council in the very near future and therefore their inclusion in this warding area will help foster effective and convenient local government. • The Greater Kidlington Warding Area is composed of four parishes that closely identify with one another and have little in common with other rural areas in the south of the District. • The Cherwell Valley in the centre of the District is a logical and clearly identifiable boundary that could be utilised as a boundary for dividing the rural areas in the north and south of the District. Parish groupings do not extend across this boundary and therefore it is logical to create ward patterns on each side independently. The 16 wards have been allocated between the areas as follows: Banbury Town Warding Area – 5 wards Greater Bicester Warding Area – 4 wards Greater Kidlington Warding Area – 2 wards Northern Rural Warding Area – 3 wards Southern Rural Warding Area – 2 wards We believe that the division of seats has been conducted in a fair and equitable manner and provides sufficient flexibility for the constituent wards to comply with the statutory criteria for ward boundaries. Due to the geography of the District and the locations of the major towns of Banbury and Bicester there are limited ways to construct boundaries that comply with the statutory criteria relating to electoral equality. Under these boundaries only two wards would be outside of the accepted 10% tolerance level under the 2014 electorate figures (Kidlington East, and Heyfords, Kirtlington and Shellswell), and only a single ward would be outside the tolerance in 2019 (Adderbury, Astons and Deddington). COMMENTS REGARDING INDIVIDUAL WARD PROPOSALS BANBURY TOWN WARDING AREA Banbury Cross and Castle The centre of Banbury is a diverse area and it is virtually impossible to split the centre into identifiable communities. It is therefore sensible to place the town centre within a single ward, rather than draw arbitrary lines as has been done in the past. The existing ward boundaries which divide the town centre have led to confusion amongst electors and the boundaries are difficult to decipher. We believe it is essential that the centre of town is placed within a single ward and would not be supportive of proposals that sought to capriciously split it between wards. Suburbs immediately adjacent to the town centre comprise the remainder of the ward and clear obvious boundaries have been used, with the exception of the area to the west of Peoples Park. Bath Road, Queens Road, Kings Road and a section of Park Road identify more closely with the centre of town than the Bretch Hill estate and therefore they have been included within this ward. We agree that the inner relief road (A4260), as a major highway, provides a clear boundary line in the east of the town. This major road is a clear dividing line between communities and should not be breached. Banbury Easington This ward comprises four separate areas which have strong ties with one another; Cherwell Heights, Easington, Poets Corner and the Timms Estate. The District Centre on Chatsworth Drive in Cherwell Heights, for example, is utilised by residents on the Timms Estate due to its close proximity and ease of access, and students from across the proposed ward are within the catchment area for Banbury Aspirational Academy. St Johns RC Primary School on Avocet Way is a feeder school for the Blessed George Napier RC Secondary School on Addison Road, which is the only Roman Catholic secondary school in Cherwell. Whilst education is a matter reserved for the County Council, it is desirable that these schools be located in the same ward. The northern entry to Bankside and the Oxford Road (B4100/A4260) have been used as a clearly identifiable boundaries between the Cherwell Heights section of the ward and Hightown. Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown This ward consists of the two communities of Grimsbury and Hightown, neither of which clearly identify with other areas of the town. Whilst recently the two areas have not been located within the same local government ward, the two communities have been placed together in previous boundary reviews. Hightown is historically linked with the Railway Station in Grimsbury and many properties are former railway housing stock. Both areas are suburban in nature and divided from the town centre by the inner relief road (A4260), which serves as a clear and distinct boundary. Banbury Hardwick This ward is largely unchanged from its current boundaries, aside from some minor changes to the southern boundary along the Warwick Road and the incorporation of land to the north of Noral Way. New houses will be built on the land north of Noral Way in the near future and they will utilise the shops and other local services at Hanwell Fields. We believe that the communities contained within this ward are broadly similar in nature and that the boundaries are clear and identifiable. Banbury Ruscote Primarily composing of current and former social housing of the Bretch Hill Estate that was built in the mid 20th century, this ward has a strong affiliation for community identity. Based on the existing Ruscote ward, this new ward would incorporate the houses that were previously part of Neithrop ward, that have a clear affiliation with the Bretch Hill estate. Residents in the area look to facilities located at the junction of Woodgreen Avenue and The Fairway, which include a library, leisure centre, swimming pool, local shops and a pub. GREATER BICESTER WARDING AREA Bicester East The centre and north east of the town are combined to form this ward. This ward utilises the Buckingham Road, Launton Road and railway as clear identifiable boundaries. Bicester North This ward is identical to the existing Bicester North County Council Division, with the exception of the properties to the south of the railway line. The Eco-Town development will require increased co-operation between Bicester Town Council and Bucknell, and Caversfield Parish Councils so including them in this District will be conducive to effective and convenient local government. We believe that using the Buckingham Road provides a clear and identifiable ward boundary. Bicester South This ward comprising of Langford Village in Bicester, Ambrosden and Chesterton parishes would incorporate the Kingsmere and Graven Hill developments. Langford Village identifies itself as being a community separate from that of central Bicester and therefore is suited to being included in a ward with rural parishes. Bicester West This ward uses the railway, Middleton Stoney Road and the B4100/Queens Avenue/Kings End as a clear and identifiable boundary. GREATER KIDLINGTON WARDING AREA Kidlington East The eastern section of Kidlington has been paired with the neighbouring parish of Gosford and Water Eaton. Despite being a separate parish, there is no identifiable boundary between Gosford and Water Eaton and Kidlington and there are strong community ties between them. There are a multitude of services in Kidlington that are used by residents of Gosford and Water Eaton, meanwhile the parish has little in common with nearby rural parishes. We agree wholly with the working party’s rationale for this ward. Kidlington West The parishes to the south west of Kidlington have been paired with the western section of the town, to which these parishes have strong transport links and community ties.