Agenda item

           To consider and approve the attached submission, prepared by the Electoral Review Task Group, which sets out the Authority’s proposals for Warding Arrangements under the Electoral Review of the Cheshire East area and to authorise the Borough Solicitor and Monitoring Officer to make any necessary technical and detailed amendments to finalise the document, to ensure that it complies fully with the wishes of the Council and is delivered by the Boundary Committee’s deadline of 15 February 2010.

           Consideration was given to the report of the Borough Solicitor, relating to the work of the Electoral Review Task Group and a submission to the Boundary Committee for England, in response to that Committee’s draft recommendations for electoral arrangements for Cheshire East.

          (The Mayor agreed that the voting figures be recorded in the minutes).

RESOLVED (44 for/14against/6abstentions)

1. That the Submission, as appended to the report, which sets out the Authority’s response to the Warding arrangements as proposed by the Boundary Committee under the Electoral Review of the Cheshire East area be approved, subject to :-

(1) deletion of the final sentence in paragraph 4.3(c) relating to Dean Row and Handforth;

(2) deletion of paragraph 5.6 relating to part of Rainow;

(3) deletion of the whole of paragraph 8.2, and its replacement by:

“8.2 If the Boundary Committee accepts the Council’s proposals to include Stapeley Rural and Batherton in Wybunbury Ward, and the relocation of Wychwood Village from Wybunbury to Haslington Ward (see paragraph 8.4 below), there is a neutral effect on the electorate figure in Wybunbury, which remains at 3765 giving excellent electoral equality. However it does result in the loss of the 322 electors in Stapeley Rural and Batherton from the Nantwich South Ward, thereby creating the need to review the boundary line between Nantwich South and the Nantwich North & West Ward, in order to achieve a reasonable electoral balance between these two Wards. The revised boundary could run along Beam Street and Millstone Lane (rather than South Crofts) both of which are main roads, providing a strong boundary line in the Town Centre. This would result in electorates of 6726 and 6272 in Nantwich South and Nantwich North & West respectively, which is just in line with the electoral equality tolerance.

However, if better electoral equality is preferred, an alternative boundary could be drawn around the residential area bounded by St. Lawrence Court and South Crofts. This would result in 6467 electors in Nantwich South and 6531 electors in Nantwich North & West, both clearly within the tolerance and giving a good balance between the two Wards.”;

(4) the addition of the following words to paragraph 9.2 concerning Haslington and Sandbach:

“subject to a minor adjustment to the proposed boundary line north of Elton Lane, so that the boundary runs along Crewe Road, as shown on the attached plan (Appendix xxx). This would include a further 82 electors in the Haslington Ward, and leaves Sandbach Ettiley Heath and Wheelock Ward with 3404 electors which continues to represent good electoral equality.”;

(5) the following changes to individual Ward names as proposed by the 

    Boundary Committee –

     i)   Wilmslow Lacey Green to be named “Wilmslow Lacey Green and Styal”

     ii)  Brereton to become “Brereton Rural”

     iii) Holmes Chapel to become “Dane Valley”

2.That the Borough Solicitor and Monitoring Officer be authorised to make any 

    necessary technical and detailed amendments to finalise the document to 

    ensure that it complies fully with the wishes of the Council and is delivered

    by the Boundary Committee’s deadline of 15 February 2010.