Agenda item

To approve the recommendations of the Constitution Committee.

Consideration was given to the recommendation from Constitution Committee relating to the Wilmslow Community Governance Review, First Stage Consultation.

 

RESOLVED

 

1. That :-

 

(1)   pursuant to Section 87 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007; and having regard to the provisions of the Department for Communities and Local Government and Electoral Commission Guidance, issued in April 2008, for the conduct of Community Governance Reviews; and having received three valid petitions  signed by the required number of electors calling for the constitution of new parishes for the three areas of (1) Handforth; (2) Wilmslow and Handforth; (3) Styal which triggered the Community Governance Review process:

 

      Having taken into account

 

• the petitions;

 

• the results of the consultation with the electors in each of the areas concerned which show in each case that a majority of those who returned their ballot papers were in favour of a new parish council for their area;

 

• the results of the consultation exercise with stakeholders and the representations from other interested persons;

 

• the outcomes of the public meetings held in each of the review areas; and

 

• the information on existing community governance arrangements in the areas concerned and the alternative forms of community governance which might have been appropriate for the areas in question :-

 

a.      that the interests of effective and convenient local government and community identities in these areas would be served by the creation of new parishes with a parish council for each of Handforth (not including polling district 8EE1 so as to recognise historic and traditional boundaries in the area), Wilmslow (including polling district 8EE1) and Styal, all as shown on the map appended to the minutes of the Constitution Committee held on 24 June 2010, with each parish comprising the polling districts indicated below; such parish councils to be called: Handforth Parish Council, Wilmslow Parish Council and Styal Parish Council respectively, and that Wilmslow Parish Council be advised to consider its designation as a Town Council;

 

Handforth Parish

Polling districts:       8EF1, 8EG1, 8EH1, 8EJ1

 

Wilmslow Parish

 

   Polling districts: 8EA1, 8EB1, 8EC1, 8ED1, 8EE1, 8EK1, 8FA1, 8FB1, 8FC1, 8FD1, 8FE1, 8FF1, 8FG1, 8FH1, 8FJ1

 

Styal Parish

Polling district:       8FK1

 

b.      that in Styal the election of parish councillors should be from the area of the parish as a whole;

 

c.      that given the substantial size of the proposed Wilmslow parish and in order to reflect longstanding community identities, the parish should be divided into wards for the purposes of election to the Parish Council;

 

d.      that the first year of elections to the new parish councils should be 2011; and

 

e.      that these proposals form the basis of a second stage of public consultations and that the Boundary Commission be informed of these proposals;

 

 2.  That :-

 

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

 

a.      Handforth: 7 Councillors

b.      Styal: 5 Councillors

c.      Wilmslow: 15 Councillors

  

(2)   dependent upon the outcome of the Boundary Review, and bearing in mind the need to achieve overall electoral equality (i.e. the number of electors per councillor) as far as possible:

 

a.      if no changes are made to the current Cheshire East Council Ward boundaries, five wards should be created for the Wilmslow Parish and named as follows:

 

                                                              i.      Morley (comprising 3 Councillors: polling districts 8FH1, 8FJ1, 8FG1 );

                                                            ii.      Lacey Green (comprising 2 Councillors: polling district 8EK1);

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

                                                           iv.      Hough (comprising 3 Councillors: polling districts 8FC1, 8FD1, 8FE1, 8FF1); and

                                                             v.      Fulshaw (comprising 3 Councillors: polling districts 8FA1, 8FB1)

 

b.      if the anticipated final recommendations of the Boundary Committee in respect of Cheshire East Council boundaries are implemented, four wards should be created for the Wilmslow Parish and named as follows, to provide 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.      Hough (comprising 4 Councillors: polling districts 8FD1(part), 8FA1(part), 8FB1(part), 8FE1, 8FF1)

 

(3)   three wards should 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)

 

and accordingly, the previous recommendation by the Sub-Committee and the Constitution Committee in relation to this matter should be disregarded; and

 

(4)   subject to consultation initially with the Chairman of the Wilmslow Community Governance Review Sub-Committee, the Borough Solicitor be authorised, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to make any amendments required to electorate figures, polling district boundaries, or the proposed Wilmslow Parish ward boundaries, should this be required as a result of the final outcome of the Boundary review. 

 

3.  That :-

 

      the stage two consultation will now take place between 11 August

      and 15 September 2010.