Agenda item

Council is requested to agree a response to the Boundary Commission for England’s consultation on proposed new Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries.

The Council had before it a report of the Management and Members’ Support Manager which sought its agreement to submit a response to the Boundary Commission for England’s (BCE) consultation on the prosed new Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries.

It was reported that, in February 2016, the BCE had announced the start of a review of the Parliamentary Constituencies in England. Following a decision by Parliament to reduce the number of constituencies in the UK to 600 from 650, and to ensure that the number of electors in each constituency was more equal, the BCE had been asked to make independent recommendations about where the boundaries of English constituencies should be. In doing so, the BCE had to ensure that every new constituency had roughly the same number of electors: no fewer than 71,031 and no more than 78,507. Whilst proposing a set of boundaries which were fairer and more equal, the Commission would also try to reflect geographic factors and local ties. The Commission would also look at the boundaries of existing constituencies and local government patterns in redrawing the map of parliamentary constituency boundaries across England.

Members were informed that the BCE was required to submit its report to Parliament in 2018 and, if agreed by Parliament, the new constituencies would be in use at the next scheduled General Election in 2020.

Council was made aware that, on 13 September 2016, the BCE had published its initial proposals for new Parliamentary Constituencies. The publication marked the start of 12 weeks of consultation (closing date of 5 December 2016), during which the Commission was seeking responses to help shape the proposed new constituency boundaries. Under those proposals, only 68 of the existing 533 English constituencies remained unchanged. There would be a further two rounds of consultation in 2017. Following the conclusion of all three consultation periods, the BCE would look at all the evidence received and make final recommendations to Parliament in September 2018.

Members were advised that the local government boundaries that the BCE would have regard to, were those that existed on 7 May 2015. It would not generally take into account any changes to boundaries coming into effect after that date. However, in the limited circumstances where the BCE had to consider whether it should divide a ward in order to meet the statutory electorate range, the BCE would be prepared to take into account, as appropriate, any new ward boundaries introduced after 7 May 2015. So far as the District of Tendring was concerned the BCE proposed a Harwich and Clacton County Constituency (electorate 77,007) wholly within the Tendring District and a North East Essex County Constituency (electorate 77,674) comprising ten wards within the Tendring District and thirteen wards of the Borough of Colchester.

The two constituencies proposed would comprise the following wards:-

Harwich and Clacton County Constituency – Twenty five wards of the District of Tendring:-  Alton Park, Beaumont and Thorpe, Bockings Elm, Burrsville, Frinton, Great and Little Oakley, Hamford, Harwich East Central, Harwich East, Harwich West Central, Harwich West, Haven, Holland and Kirby, Homelands, Little Clacton and Weeley, Peter Bruff, Pier, Ramsey and Parkeston, Rush Green, St Bartholomews, St James, St Johns, St Marys, St Pauls and Walton.

North East Essex County Constituency -  Thirteen wards of the Borough of Colchester:-  Birch and Winstree, Copford and West Stanway, Dedham and Langham, Fordham and Stour, Great Tey, Marks Tey, Pyefleet, Stanway, Tiptree, West Bergholt and Eight Ash Green, West Mersea, Wivenhoe Cross and Wivenhoe Quay.

Ten wards of the District of Tendring:-  Alresford, Ardleigh and Little Bromley, Bradfield, Wrabness and Wix, Brightlingsea, Golf Green, Great Bentley,  Lawford, Manningtree, Mistley, Little Bentley and Tendring, St Osyth and Point Clear and Thorrington, Frating, Elmstead and Great Bromley.

The changes from the current Parliamentary constituencies were as follows:-

Great and Little Oakley, Harwich East, Harwich East Central, Harwich West, Harwich West Central and Ramsey and Parkeston would move into the constituency which sits wholly in Tendring (i.e Harwich and Clacton).

Golf Green and St Osyth and Point Clear would move into the constituency that covered both Tendring and Colchester (i.e. North East Essex).

Council was informed that the commentary from the BCE consultation document in relation to the above proposals was as follows:-

“At present, the Harwich and North Essex constituency surrounds the Colchester constituency at its north-west, north, east and south sides, taking in the port of Harwich to the east. We propose to modify this arrangement by pairing Harwich with Clacton-on-Sea in a Harwich and Clacton constituency. In addition, we propose a North East Essex constituency that completely surrounds the Colchester constituency. Our proposed North East Essex constituency comprises 13 wards from the Borough of Colchester and ten wards from the District of Tendring. As a result, the villages of Point Clear, St. Osyth, Seawick and Jaywick are no longer included in a constituency with Clacton. The entirety of our proposed Harwich and Clacton constituency falls within the District of Tendring.”

It was suggested by Officers that, in response to the consultation, comment should be made on the placing of the Golf Green Ward in the North East Essex Constituency. It was considered by Officers that the ward of Golf Green better sat within the Harwich and Clacton County Constituency as that encompassed the coastal strip from Harwich all the way down to Clacton and that coastal communities had their own particular character and issues which required a coherent and unified approach. It was further considered that the needs of the community within the Golf Green Ward would best be served by this ward sitting in the Harwich and Clacton County Constituency with the other local coastal communities in the District of Tendring.

Having considered the report and the Officers’ suggestion it was moved by Councillor Stock, seconded by Councillor G V Guglielmi and:

RESOLVED that a response be submitted to the Boundary Commission for England on the consultation on 2018 Parliamentary Boundaries that this Council considers that the Golf Green Ward should sit within the proposed Harwich and Clacton County Constituency for the reasons set out in the Report of the Management and Members’ Support Manager.