Local Government Boundary Commission For England Report No. 297 LOCAL (jOraRiTi-i^T EOui:LA;tY COMMISSION PCR ENGLAND CHAIRMAN Sir Edmund Compton GCB IC33 DEPUTY CKAIRIilAN Mr J M Kankin QC MElffiEHS Lady Bov/den MrJ T Brockbank: Professor Michael Chisholm Mr R R Thornton C3 LL Mr D P Harrison To the Rt Bon Msrlyn Reea, MP Secretary of State for the Home Department PROPOSALS FOR REVISED ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE BOROUGH OF WEIMOUTH AND PORTLAND IN THE COUNTY OF DORSET 1, We, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England* having carried oat our Initial review of the electoral arrangements for the Borough of Heymouth and Portland in accordance with the requirements of section 63 of, and Schedule 9 to, the Local Government Act 1972, present our proposals for the future electoral arrangements for that borough* 2. In accordance with the procedure laid down in section 60(1) and (2) of the 1972 Act, notice was given on 31 December 1974 that we were to undertake this review* This was incorporated In a consultation letter addressed to the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, copies of which were circulated to the Dorset County Council, the Parish Council in the district, the Member of Parliament for the constituency concerned and the headquarters of the main political parties*. Copies were also sent to the editors of local newspapers circulating in the area and of the local government press* Notices inserted in the local press announced thtt start of the review and invited comments from members of the public and from any interested bodies, 3* Vermouth and Portland Borough Council were invited to prepare a draft scheme of representation for our consideration. In doing so, they were asked to observe the rules laid down in Schedule 11 to the Local Government Act 1972 and the guidelines which we set out in our Report No 6 about the proposed size of the Council and the proposed number of councillors for each ward. They were asked also to take into account any views expressed to them following their consultation with local interests. We therefore asked that they should publish details of their provisional proposals about a month before they submitted their draft scheme to us, thus allowing an opportunity for local comment. 4* In accordance with section 7(4)(b) of the local Government Act 1972 the Council exercised an option for a system of elections by thirds* 5. Qa 28 May 1975 Weymouth and Portland Borough Council presented their draft scheme of representation* The Council proposed to divide the area into 13 wards each returning 3 councillors to form a council of 39 members. 6* Despite publicity in the local newspapers the draft scheme received no comment. We considered the draft scheme but noted that the standard of equality of representation was uneven, particularly with regard to the parish of Portland, which was substantially over-represented compared with the rest of the district* We were also of the opinion that for a district of this size and character and in the absence of any compelling reasons to the contrary, a council of 39 members would be too large* Further, the division of the district into 13 three-member wards would not be compatible with future county electoral arrangements* for these reasons we found the draft scheme unacceptable and decided to refer it back to the Borough Council with a request that it should be redrawn to secure greater equality of representation, a smaller council and compatibility with county electoral arrangements* 7. On 1 October 1976 the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council submitted a revised draft scheme in which they proposed to divide the district into H wards each returning two or three members to form a council of 35 members. The Borough Council had published details of their revised proposals about a month earlier and invited comments upon them. 8. The comments included representations from a local political association about the proposed Radipole ward. A local borough councillor wrote suggesting a minor modification to the boundary between the proposed Weymouth East and Weymouth West wards. Another borough councillor, also a member of Portland Town Council, objected to the revised draft scheme insofar as it would influence the future county electoral divisions for the parish of Portland, One other local councillor suggested an alternative scheme comprising 14 two-member wards to form a total council of 28. 9. We considered the revised draft scheme together with the comments which had been made* The Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's revised scheme met our objections to their original scheme in that it offered both a good standard of equality of representation and potential compatibility* We decided therefore to adopt their revised draft schema as our draft proposals subject to minor . modifications recommended by the Ordnance Survey in the interest of good boundaries. 10. We Issued our draft proposals on 11 February 1977 and these were sent, to all who had received our consultation letter or who had commented on the Council's draft schemes. The Council were asked to make these draft proposals > and the accompanying map which defined the proposed ward boundaries, available for inspection at their main offices. Representations on our draft proposals were invited from those to whoa they were circulated, and, by public notices, from other members of the public and interested bodies. We asked that comments should reach us by 15 April 1977* 11. The Weymouth and Portland Borough Council suggested a number of minor amendments to the description of the proposed ward boundaries which had been included with our draft proposals. We noted that these suggestions bed with Ordnance Survey who had accepted them in part, and that a revised ward* description had been prepared. The Dorset County Council confirmed that our draft proposals would be compatible with their proposed number of county electoral divisions* The local political party which had previously commented on the draft scheme wrote again reiterating ita objections to the proposed Badipole ward bat offered no satisfactory alternative which would comply with the statutory requirement for equality of representation* 12. We reviewed our draft proposals in the light of the comments which we had received and resolved that they should be confirmed subject to the minor changes in-boundary descriptions mentioned in paragraph 11. We formulated our final proposals accordingly* 13. Details of these final proposals are set out in Schedules 1 and 2 to this report and on the attached map. Schedule 1 gives the names of the wards and the number of councillors to be returned by each. Schedule 2 shows our proposals for the order of retirement of councillors. The boundaries of the proposed new wards are defined on the map* PUBLICAJIOH 17* In accordance with Section 60(5)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 a copy of this report and a copy of the map are being sent to Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and will be available for public inspection at the Council's main offices. Copies of this report without the map are also being sent to those who received the consultation letter and to those who made comments. A detailed description of the boundaries of the proposed wards, as defined on the maj^ is set out la Schedule 3 to this Report. L.5. Signed: EDMUHD CQMPTON (Chairman) JOHH H RAHECH (Deputy Chairman) PHXLLIS BOWDEN J T BHQCKBANK MICHAEL CHISHOLM D P H4RRISOH N DIGNEY (Secretary) December 1977 SCHEDULE 1 DISTRICT OP WEYMOUTH AND PORTLAND : NAMES OP PROPOSED WARDS AND NUMBERS OP COUNCILLORS NAME OP WARD NO. OP COUNCILLORS MELCOMBE REGIS ' 3 HORTH 2 NORTH CENOBAL 3 PRESTON 3 RADIPOLE _ 2 TOPHILL EAST ' 2 TOPHILL WEST 3 TJUDEHHILL 2 WESTHAM BAST 2 WESTHAM NORTH - 3 WESTHAM WEST 2 WEYM00TH EAST 2 WEYMOUTH WEST 3 WYZE HEGIS 3 SCHEDULE 2 WEYMOUTH AND PORTLAND DISTRICT ELECTION BT THIRDS ORDER OF RETIREMENT OF COUNCILLORS NAME OP WARD NO. OF COUNCILLORS ORDER OF RETIREMENT 1st YEAR 2nd YEiR 3rd YEAR MELCOMBE REGIS 3 1 1 1 2 1 1 NORTH - NORTH CENTRAL 3 1 1 1 PRESTON 3 1 1 1 RADIPOLE 2 1 1 - TOPHILL EASTA 2 1 1 PE - TOPHTLL WEST 3 1 1 1 PE UNDERBILL 2 1 1 PE - 2 1 1 WESTHAM EAST - WESTHAM NORTH 3 1 1 1 1 1 WESTHAM WEST 2 - WEYMOUTH EAST 2 1 1 - WEYMOUTH WEST 3 1 1 1 WYEE REGIS 3 1 1 1 11 12 12 PE PARISH ELECTIONS SCHEDULE 3 BOROUGH OF WEYMOUTH AND PORTLAND- DESCRIPTION OP WARDS NOTE: Where the boundary is described as following a road, railway, canal or similar feature it should be deemed to follow the centre line of the feature unless otherwise stated. NORTH WARD Commencing at the point where the northern boundary of the Borough meets the rear boundaries of the proposed property development on the eastern side of Jordan Way, thence southwards along said boundaries to and west- wards along Littlemoor Road to a point opposite the western boundary of No 485 Littlemoor Road thence' generally southwestwards to and along said boundary _. and' "thV~sautheastefn, boundary .of Broadway Close housing estate-and in prolongation thereof to the Waterloo-Weymouth railway, thence southwards along said railway to a point opposite the southern boundary of the Broad- wey County Secondary School, thence generally, southwestwards to and along said southern boundary and the unnamed track running along the southern boundary of the School to Dorchester Road, thence southwards along said road to a point opposite the southern boundary of No 425 Dorchester Road, thence westwards to and along said southern boundary to the western boundary of said property thence northwards