7 January 2013 Tel: Review Officer (Vale of White Horse) LGBCE Layden House 76-86 Turnmill Street London EC1M 5LG Dear Sir Vale North-East District Council Wards I have been a member of the North Hinksey community and served on the Parochial Church Council of the North Hinksey with Botley Parish for over 30 years. I am also a Cumnor Parish Councillor for Cumnor Village Ward and a Vale of White Horse District Councillor for Appleton and Cumnor. My comments on your proposals for a single-member Botley ward and a three-member Kennington ward in the Vale of White Horse District Council and my suggestions for an alternative arrangement are set out below. 1. Boundary Commission’s Proposals The Boundary Commission’s proposals are very different from the proposals made by the Vale of White Horse District Council and the Liberal Democrat Group for the area that includes North Hinksey, South Hinksey, Sunningwell, Kennington and Radley. I agree with the aims of the Boundary Commission review, ie: 1) to recommend ward boundaries that mean each councillor represents approximately the same number of electors; 2) to have regard to the interests and identities of local communities; and 3) to ensure that the new electoral arrangements promote effective and convenient local government. However, I do not consider that the Boundary Commission’s proposal to have a single- member ward for part of North Hinksey and a three-member ward for South Hinksey, Sunningwell, Kennington and Radley adequately satisfies the Commission’s own aims. 2. Alternative Proposal for Two Two-Member Wards Instead, I would propose that having two wards with two members each fulfils the aims of the Boundary Commission far more satisfactorily than its proposal for one single-member ward and one three-member ward. 2.1. Proposal for a North Hinksey and Sunningwell Two-Member Ward The main advantage of having a two-member ward comprised of North Hinksey, South Hinksey, Wytham and Sunningwell is that it would avoid cutting the heart of North Hinksey parish out of the remainder of the North Hinksey community. North Hinksey village and North Hinksey Lane form the centre of North Hinksey parish, together with the Saxon Church 1 of St Lawrence, The Fishes Pub and North Hinksey CE Primary School. Yarnells Hill, Lime Road, Rayleigh Park Road and adjacent roads are all part of the community of North Hinksey, together with Harcourt Hill and Oxford Brookes University Harcourt Hill campus. These residents have similar interests and identify with the same local community. They use the same local shops, churches, pubs, library, medical centre and other services in Botley and North Hinksey, and look towards Oxford for entertainment and as a major shopping centre. Residents in the proposed development of 130 houses off Lime Road will also use these services and they will not want to be split off into another ward with Kennington and Radley. Sunningwell, South Hinksey and Boars Hill are small villages surrounded by low density housing. Although they are individual villages they have similar interests to other rural communities and have their own individual characteristics. Furthermore, although the only access to South Hinksey village is via the A34, part of South Hinksey parish joins Sunningwell parish and has similar low density housing. If North Hinksey and the villages of Sunningwell, South Hinksey and Wytham were joined to form a two-member ward with one member in general representing the North Hinksey area and the other representing the villages, then each councillor would represent approximately the same number of electors. This would also ensure that the new electoral arrangements promoted effective and convenient local government in a ward with more suburban characteristics in the north and a more rural area in the south. 2.2. Proposal for a Kennington and Radley Two-Member Ward There are several benefits of having a two-member ward for Kennington and Radley. Firstly, part of Kennington would not be artificially cut off and joined to Radley, which would be likely if Kennington and Radley were two single-member wards. Secondly, the residents of Kennington and Radley have similar interests and identities in their local communities. Thirdly, a two-member ward would give approximately the same number of electors for each district councillor to represent and thus promote effective and convenient local government. In contrast, the proposal to join Sunningwell, South Hinksey and surrounding housing with Kennington and Radley has significant disadvantages. These villages have little in common with Kennington and Radley. Although Kennington and Radley are villages, they are both much larger than Sunningwell and South Hinksey and separated from Sunningwell by the A34 and Bagley Wood. They do not share any common interests and the local communities have different identities. Due to the different nature of all these villages, there is a real risk that having a three-member ward would be detrimental to the effectiveness and convenience of local government. 3. Conclusions In support of my proposal for two wards each having two members, I would argue that: 1) To have a two-member North Hinksey and Sunningwell ward would avoid removing the core of North Hinksey parish from the rest of the North Hinksey community and joining it to three-member ward just to make up the numbers in that ward. 2) A two-member North Hinksey and Sunningwell ward would recognise and maintain the identities of these local communities and best serve their individual interests. 3) A two-member North Hinksey and Sunningwell ward would mean that each councillor represented approximately the same number of electors. 4) A two-member Kennington and Radley ward would recognise the similar identities of these communities and serve their interests well. 2 5) A two-member Kennington and Radley ward would also recognise the differences between the interests and identities of these communities and the interests and identities of the communities in the Sunningwell and Hinkseys ward. 6) A two-member Kennington and Radley ward would give approximately the same number of electors per district councillor thus promoting effective and convenient local government. Yours sincerely Dr D S Hoddinott Member of the Parochial Church Council, North Hinksey with Botley Parish District Councillor for Appleton and Cumnor Parish Councillor for Cumnor Village. Email: Boundary Commission - N Hinksey Warding 2 3 .