Agenda item

Report of the Management and Members' Support Manager - A.2 - Electoral Review of Tendring

To provide Council with a timetable for the electoral review of Tendring and to seek a delegation to authorise the Chief Executive to make, with the agreement of the Electoral Review Working Group, a provisional submission on ward boundaries to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) to meet the LGBCE deadline of 9th January 2017 subject to the final submission being formally considered and determined by full Council at the meeting on 24th January 2017. 

Minutes:

The Council had before it a report of the Management and Members’ Support Manager which provided Council with a timetable for the electoral review of the District of Tendring and sought a delegation to authorise the Chief Executive to make, with the agreement of the Electoral Review Working Group, a provisional submission on ward boundaries to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) to meet the LGBCE deadline of 9 January 2017, subject to the final submission being formally considered and determined by full Council at its meeting on 24January 2017. 

 

Further to Minute 69 (6.9.16), Members were informed that on 25October 2016 the LGBCE had written to the Council to confirm the commencement of the consultation on ward boundaries. The LGBCE had stated that it was “…….minded to recommend that 48 district councillors should be elected to Tendring District Council in future.….”. The LGBCE was now seeking proposals from the Council, interested parties and members of the public on a pattern of electoral wards to accommodate 48 councillors. The deadline for such responses was 9January 2017.

 

Council was made aware that the timetable of the LGCBE did not allow for the Council proposals on ward boundaries to be considered at a full Council meeting before the deadline for responses. It was therefore proposed that Council authorised the Chief Executive to make, with the agreement of the Electoral Review Working Party, a provisional submission on ward boundaries to the LGBCE to meet the LGBCE deadline of 9 January 2017 with the final submission being formally considered and determined by full Council at its meeting on 24 January 2017. In considering that proposed delegation the following factors were pertinent:-

 

  • all Members had been invited to submit their comments to the Working Party so that they could be taken account of in preparing the Council’s proposals;
  • the proposals would be shared with all Members before submission;
  • the Working Party had cross-party representation and four Group Leaders sitting on the Working Group;
  • the LGBCE would consult on its draft recommendations between March and May 2017 so there would be a further opportunity for all Members to comment before final recommendations were published;
  • unless full Council wished to formally constitute the Electoral Review Working Party as a committee, to which the usual access to information rules would apply, the Council was only permitted in law to authorise the discharge of its functions to an Officer;
  • the Chief Executive would seek the approval of the Working Party before the submission, such approval to be obtained at a meeting before 9January 2017.

 

Having considered the proposed delegation it was moved by Councillor Honeywood and seconded by Councillor Stock that:

 

“the Chief Executive be authorised to make, with the agreement of the Electoral Review Working Party, a provisional submission on ward boundaries to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) to meet the LGBCE deadline of 9 January 2017, subject to the final submission being formally considered and determined by full Council at its meeting on 24 January 2017.” 

 

Councillors Everett, Howard and Broderick addressed Council during the debate on Councillor Honeywood’s motion.

 

The Monitoring Officer and the Chief Executive both responded to allegations made by Councillor Everett against Officers during his speech and which Councillor Everett stated had been included in a complaint that he had submitted to Essex Police.

 

The Chief Executive also responded to questions asked by Councillors Howard and Broderick on the process.

 

Councillor Honeywood’s motion, on being put to the vote was declared CARRIED.

Supporting documents: