LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR NEWHAM Report to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions November 1999 LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND This report sets out the Commission’s final recommendations on the electoral arrangements for Newham. Members of the Commission are: Professor Malcolm Grant (Chairman) Professor Michael Clarke (Deputy Chairman) Peter Brokenshire Kru Desai Pamela Gordon Robin Gray Robert Hughes CBE Barbara Stephens (Chief Executive) ©Crown Copyright 1999 Applications for reproduction should be made to: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office Copyright Unit. The mapping in this report is reproduced from OS mapping by The Local Government Commission for England with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, ©Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence Number: GD 03114G. This report is printed on recycled paper. ii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND CONTENTS page LETTER TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE v SUMMARY vii 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 CURRENT ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS 3 3 DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS 7 4 RESPONSES TO CONSULTATION 9 5 ANALYSIS AND FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS 11 6 NEXT STEPS 27 APPENDIX A Draft Recommendations for Newham (June 1999) 29 A large map illustrating the proposed ward boundaries for Newham is inserted inside the back cover of the report. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND iii iv LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Local Government Commission for England 30 November 1999 Dear Secretary of State On 5 January 1999 the Commission began a periodic electoral review of Newham under the Local Government Act 1992. We published our draft recommendations in June 1999 and undertook an 11-week period of consultation. We have now prepared our final recommendations in the light of the consultation. We have substantially confirmed our draft recommendations, although some modifications have been made (see paragraphs 137- 138) in the light of further evidence. This report sets out our final recommendations for changes to electoral arrangements in Newham. We recommend that Newham Borough Council should be served by 60 councillors representing 20 wards, and that changes should be made to ward boundaries in order to improve electoral equality, having regard to the statutory criteria. We note that you have now set out in the White Paper Modern Local Government – In Touch with the People (Cm 4014, HMSO), legislative proposals for a number of changes to local authority electoral arrangements. However, until such time as that new legislation is in place we are obliged to conduct our work in accordance with current legislation, and to continue our current approach to periodic electoral reviews. I would like to thank members and officers of the Borough Council and other local people who have contributed to the review. Their co-operation and assistance have been very much appreciated by Commissioners and staff. Yours sincerely PROFESSOR MALCOLM GRANT Chairman LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND v vi LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND SUMMARY The Commission began a review of Newham on ● In 19 of the 20 wards the number of electors 5 January 1999. We published our draft per councillor would vary by no more than recommendations for electoral arrangements on 29 10 per cent from the borough average. June 1999, after which we undertook an 11-week Royal Docks ward, which is subject to period of consultation. significant growth, would initially vary by 57 per cent. ● This report summarises the representations ● Electoral equality is forecast to improve we received during consultation on our draft further, with the number of electors per recommendations, and offers our final councillor in all wards expected to vary by recommendations to the Secretary of State. no more than 3 per cent from the average for the borough in 2004. We found that the existing electoral arrangements provide unequal representation of electors in Newham: All further correspondence on these recommendations and the matters discussed ● in eight of the 24 wards the number of in this report should be addressed to the electors represented by each councillor varies Secretary of State for the Environment, by more than 10 per cent from the average Transport and the Regions, who will not make for the borough, and in three wards varies an order implementing the Commission’s by more than 20 per cent from the average; recommendations before 11 January 2000: ● by 2004 electoral equality is expected to worsen, with the number of electors per The Secretary of State councillor forecast to vary by more than 10 Department of the Environment, per cent from the average in 11 wards, and Transport and the Regions by more than 20 per cent in six wards. Local Government Sponsorship Division Eland House Our main final recommendations for future Bressenden Place electoral arrangements (Figures 1 and 2 and London SW1E 5DU paragraphs 137-138) are that: ● Newham Borough Council should be served by 60 councillors, as at present; ● there should be 20 wards, four fewer than at present, which would involve changes to the boundaries of all of the existing wards. These recommendations seek to ensure that the number of electors represented by each borough councillor is as nearly as possible the same, having regard to local circumstances. LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND vii Figure 1: The Commission’s Final Recommendations: Summary Ward name Number of Constituent areas (existing wards) councillors 1 Beckton 3 Custom House & Silvertown ward (part); South ward (part) 2 Boleyn 3 Bemersyde ward (part); Castle ward (part); Central ward (part); Greatfield ward (part); Plaistow ward (part) 3 Canning Town 3 Canning Town & Grange ward; Hudsons ward (part); North Ordnance ward (part) 4 Canning Town 3 Beckton ward (part); Custom House & Silvertown ward (part); South Hudsons ward (part); Ordnance ward (part) 5 Custom House 3 Custom House & Silvertown ward (part); Beckton ward (part); South ward (part) 6 East Ham Central 3 Castle ward (part); Central ward (part); Greatfield ward (part); Wall End ward (part) 7 East Ham North 3 Kensington ward; Monega ward (part); St Stephens ward (part) 8 East Ham South 3 Greatfield ward (part); South ward (part) 9 Forest Gate North 3 Forest Gate ward; New Town ward (part) 10 Forest Gate South 3 Park ward (part); Stratford ward (part); Upton ward (part); West Ham ward (part) 11 Green Street East 3 Manor Park ward (part); Monega ward (part); St Stephens ward (part) 12 Green Street West 3 Park ward (part); Plashet ward (part); Upton ward (part) 13 Little Ilford 3 Little Ilford ward; Manor Park ward (part) 14 Manor Park 3 Manor Park ward (part); Monega ward (part) 15 Plaistow North 3 Plaistow ward (part); Plashet ward (part) 16 Plaistow South 3 Plaistow ward (part); Bemersyde ward (part); Hudsons ward (part) 17 Royal Docks 3 Custom House & Silvertown ward (part); South ward (part) 18 Stratford & 3 New Town ward (part); Stratford ward (part) New Town 19 Wall End 3 Wall End ward (part) 20 West Ham 3 West Ham ward (part); Park ward (part); Plashet ward (part); Stratford ward (part) Note: Map 2 and the large map in the back of the report illustrate the proposed wards outlined above. viii LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND Figure 2: The Commission’s Final Recommendations for Newham Ward name Number Electorate Number Variance Electorate Number Variance of (1999) of electors from (2004) of electors from councillors per councillor average per councillor average %% 1 Beckton 3 7,044 2,348 -5 7,680 2,560 1 2 Boleyn 3 7,774 2,591 4 7,557 2,519 -1 3 Canning Town 3 7,694 2,565 3 7,498 2,499 -1 North 4 Canning Town 3 7,670 2,557 3 7,486 2,495 -2 South 5 Custom House 3 7,804 2,601 5 7,664 2,555 1 6 East Ham Central 3 7,907 2,636 6 7,659 2,553 1 7 East Ham North 3 7,378 2,459 -1 7,420 2,473 -3 8 East Ham South 3 7,833 2,611 5 7,645 2,548 0 9 Forest Gate North 3 7,904 2,635 6 7,782 2,594 2 10 Forest Gate South 3 8,040 2,680 8 7,808 2,603 3 11 Green Street East 3 7,458 2,486 0 7,531 2,510 -1 12 Green Street West 3 7,626 2,542 2 7,521 2,507 -1 13 Little Ilford 3 7,648 2,549 3 7,542 2,514 -1 14 Manor Park 3 7,486 2,495 0 7,619 2,540 0 15 Plaistow North 3 7,549 2,516 1 7,438 2,479 -2 16 Plaistow South 3 7,858 2,619 5 7,505 2,502 -1 17 Royal Docks 3 3,180 1,060 -57 7,852 2,617 3 18 Stratford & 3 7,592 2,531 2 7,649 2,550 0 New Town 19 Wall End 3 7,776 2,592 4 7,638 2,546 0 continued overleaf LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ix Figure 2 (continued): The Commission’s Final Recommendations for Newham Ward name Number Electorate Number Variance Electorate Number Variance of (1999) of electors from (2004) of electors from councillors per councillor average per councillor average %% 20 West Ham 3 7,840 2,613 5 7,728 2,576 2 Totals 60 149,061 --152,222 -- Averages --2,484 --2,537 - Source: Electorate figures are based on information provided by Newham Borough Council. Notes: 1 The ‘variance from average’ column shows by how far, in percentage terms, the number of electors per councillor varies from the average for the borough.