Agenda item

To consider a report which summarises the conclusions reached by the Sub-Committee following the second stage of public consultation, makes recommendations for consideration by the Constitution Committee on 15^th December and by Council on 16^th December, and includes the proposed Order which would be required to bring these recommendations into effect.

The Sub-Committee considered a report summarising the conclusions reached by the Sub-Committee following the second stage of public consultation.

The Sub-Committee had before it the report considered on 27^th September, detailing the outcomes of the second stage of public consultations, based on the Council’s draft recommendations for the Wilmslow Community Governance Review. The issues had been further considered by the Sub-Committee on 21^st October, together with the detail of the draft Order which would be required, should the Council finally determine to implement its previous recommendations.

The Sub-Committee had given detailed consideration to the outcomes of the second stage of public consultations, which had raised a number of issues which needed to be addressed and provided for in the recommendations to Council.

The Sub-Committee also considered the proposed final draft of the “Cheshire East Borough Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order”. It was based on the Council’s previous draft recommendations, but also dealt with the implications of the Boundary Commission’s Review of the Cheshire East Electoral Arrangements; the need to make provision for the 2011/12 budget requirement; Options for Transitional Arrangements before the elections to new Parish Councils; and other more detailed references in the draft.

The Boundary Commission’s final recommendations for electoral arrangements for the whole of Cheshire East had been laid in Parliament on 11^th October in the form of a draft Order. The Order not having been ‘prayed against’ within the 40 day period allocated, the Boundary Commission had now confirmed that it would issue the final Order early in the new year. Accordingly it was now clear that the borough ward boundaries in the Wilmslow area would be those as determined by the Commission.

The Sub-Committee has previously considered a pattern of warding for new parishes in Wilmslow and Handforth which would broadly conform to the new borough wards, in that, with one exception, none of the proposed parish wards was split by a borough ward boundary. The exception occurred in the case of the Wilmslow parish ward of Dean Row, part of which would be in the borough ward of Handforth. The Sub-Committee had previously been of the view that the proposed parish ward boundaries for Dean Row better reflected in particular the community identities of the area. Members were asked to give further consideration to this issue and make appropriate recommendations to the Council.

The proposed parish ward boundaries and ward names were shown in detail on a map circulated with the report which would form part of the Order. As agreed at the previous meeting, the name for the Hough parish ward had been changed to Wilmslow East, and the number of Styal Parish Councillors had been set at 7. The warding arrangements were prescribed in Article 8 of the Order, but no longer made reference to polling district numbers as these could be subject to review across the whole Borough.

The Sub-Committee had previously considered the need to set an appropriate budget for each of the new parish councils in its first year and had agreed a precept and indicative Council tax rate for Band D properties for each parish. Jackie Weaver of ChALC was asked to work with Paul Goodwin to provide illustrative details of how the parish councils would work within the agreed budgets.

Illustrative budgets had now been prepared and were circulated at the meeting. Jackie and her colleague Linda Davenport were again present to advise Members on the budgets. Members commented in particular on the general grant allocations for each council, and asked that the grant figures in particular be reviewed in order to set a realistic figure for each council in its first year and to achieve greater consistency and equality among the councils in terms of grant provision per elector and indicative Council tax for Band D properties, taking into account the advantages that the larger councils could have in terms of economies of scale.

At the last meeting, Members considered whether transitional provisions should be included in the draft Order. Such provisions would cover the period between the making of the Order and the election of councillors to new parishes, and would enable some preparatory work to be undertaken in the “shadow” period. Members considered two alternatives: either the current 6 Borough Councillors for the area take responsibility for the transitional arrangements, or the Sub-Committee itself carry out the role. Members favoured the second option but asked that other local Members not on the Sub-Committee be consulted on any transitional arrangements. The extended terms of reference for the Sub-Committee agreed by the Constitution Committee would enable the Sub-Committee to deal with transitional arrangements.

The recommendations of the Sub-Committee and the Constitution Committee would be presented to Council on 16^th December, where the final outcome of the Community Governance Review would be decided.

RESOLVED

That the Sub-Committee having taken into account all responses made during the Second Stage of consultation, and having regard to the need to ensure that Community Governance within the area reflects the identities and interests of the Community, and is effective and convenient, the Constitution Committee be asked to recommend to Council that it affirm its recommendations made on 22^nd July 2010 and that:

(1)   having regard to comparator information for Parish Councils in Cheshire East, and having regard to electoral equality, three new parishes be created and the number of Councillors to serve on each of each of the new Parish Councils be as follows:

a.   Handforth: 7 Councillors

b.   Styal: 7 Councillors

c.   Wilmslow: 15 Councillors

(2)   four wards be created for the Wilmslow Parish and named as follows, to provide as far as possible coterminous boundaries for electoral purposes:

i. Wilmslow West (comprising 5 Councillors: polling districts 8FH1, 8FJ1, 8FG1, 8FC1, 8FA1(part), 8FB1(part), 8FD1(part);

ii. Lacey Green (comprising 2 Councillors: polling districts 8EK1, 8EA1(part), 8FD1(part);

iii. Dean Row (comprising 4 Councillors: polling districts 8EA1(part), 8EB1, 8EC1, 8ED1, 8EE1); and

iv .Wilmslow East (comprising 4 Councillors: polling districts 8FD1(part), 8FA1(part), 8FB1(part), 8FE1, 8FF1)

(3)   three wards be created for the Handforth Parish and named as follows:

i. Handforth West (comprising 3 Councillors: polling districts 8EG1, 8EJ1)

ii.Handforth East (comprising 2 Councillors: polling district 8EH1); and

iii.Handforth South (comprising 2 Councillors: polling district 8EF1)

(4)   accordingly, and subject to the following, the detailed provisions of the draft Cheshire East Borough Council (Re-organisation  of Community Governance) Order 2010, as submitted to the meeting be approved  and that the Borough Solicitor be authorised to issue the Order and to make any necessary technical and detailed amendments as may be required:

a.      the transitional arrangements for the proposed town and parish councils be dealt with by the Wilmslow Community Governance Review Sub-Committee in consultation with relevant local Ward Members; and

b.      the proposed budgets for the first year of the new councils be reviewed as discussed, subject to a maximum indicative Council tax rate per Band D property of £28.00 in each case, and revised budgets be agreed with the Chairman of the Sub-Committee for recommendation to the Constitution Committee and Council; and

(5)   in accordance with Section 96 of the Local Government and Public Improvement in Health Act 2007, the Borough Solicitor be authorised to make the necessary arrangements to publicise the outcome of the Community Governance Review.