Issue - meetings

The Civic Affairs Committee RECOMMENDED to Council that the warding proposal as set out in Appendix 1 of the report, developed by the Member Champion in consultation with all Members, be submitted to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as a Council response to the first phase of the review, subject to the inclusion of an amendment to ward 20 in respect of Cambourne to reflect that the proposed ward was a single large settlement which would clearly benefit from being a ward on its own and that there were plans for growth.

Consideration was given to a report which provided the Civic Affairs Committee with an opportunity to recommend to Council a response to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s first phase of consultation on new warding patterns for South Cambridgeshire.

Councillor Alex Riley, Boundary Review Member Champion, presented the report and the draft response as attached to the report at Appendix 1 which he said all Members of the Council had seen and which had not changed for the last two months.  Councillor Riley informed the Committee that he had not received any comments in that time to suggest additional changes to the proposals.

Councillor Cathcart, reflecting on the shape and nature of the district, referred to the decision made at the previous meeting stating that he had not supported the decision and still had concerns in respect of single Member wards and inconsistencies across the district.  Councillor Cathcart gave examples where some wards, as they currently sat, would lose villages as part of the new proposal and felt that there was no particular harmony to what was being proposed.  He was also concerned that the proposal had been developed ahead of consultation with Parish Councils, with his view being that comments from Parish Councils should have been incorporated into the initial proposal.

Councillor Riley responded by reminding the Committee that the Local Government Boundary Commission for England had already made its decision regarding a Council size of 45 for South Cambridgeshire District Council, so there was no choice in developing a proposal based on that Council size, equating to 2,900 electors per Member, which he accepted worked better in some areas of the district than in others.  In terms of the draft proposal being developed prior to consultation with Parish Councils, Councillor Riley made the point that there had to be a proposal in place for Parish Councils to comment on.  He said that the principles of electoral wards being single-Member wards and small parishes not forming part of an electoral ward with large parishes, in both cases where possible and practical, had been agreed at the last meeting and were put into practice as part of developing the draft proposal.

Councillors Bridget Smith and Sebastian Kindersley had sympathy with Councillor Cathcart’s concerns, citing examples in the electoral ward they represented where single-Member wards were not the most suitable solution.  Councillor Riley acknowledged that there were difficult compromises that had to be made across the district.  Councillor Smith also made the point that there were a number of newly proposed electoral wards that were towards the end of the 10% tolerance level and questioned what the Boundary Commission’s views would be in respect of that.  Andrew Francis, Electoral Services Manager, advised that whilst this was true, it would be up to the Council to put forward its case.

It was noted that the wording of ward 20 in the draft proposal would be amended to reflect that the proposed ward was a single large settlement, which would clearly benefit  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4

The Civic Affairs Committee:

(a)        AGREED that the Boundary Review Member Champion be asked to draw up a scheme for subsequent consideration by the Civic Affairs Committee and Council, in liaison with representatives of all political groups and the Elections Manager.

(b)        SUPPORTED the following principles in drawing up a scheme:

-       electoral wards to be single-Member wards, where possible and practical;

-       small parishes not to form part of an electoral ward with large parishes, where possible and practical.

The Civic Affairs Committee considered a report which updated Members on the next steps in the Council’s electoral review.

Councillor Alex Riley, the Council’s Boundary Review Member Champion, informed the Committee that he was determined to come up with the best possible warding arrangement for South Cambridgeshire and sought support of the following principles that he intended to follow:

-       electoral wards to be single-Member wards, where possible and practical;

-       small parishes not to form part of an electoral ward with large parishes, where possible and practical.

He emphasised that his role as Boundary Review Member Champion would be politically neutral and that politics would not feature at all as part of his consideration of the district’s warding arrangements, reporting that he had already been working very closely with Members of the opposition.  Councillor Riley reminded Members that the decision on Council size for South Cambridgeshire District Council had not yet been announced by the Boundary Commission and that a decision was expected later this month. 

Members thanked Councillor Riley for the significant work he had already undertaken on the electoral review.

The Civic Affairs Committee:

(a)        AGREED that the Boundary Review Member Champion be asked to draw up a scheme for subsequent consideration by the Civic Affairs Committee and Council, in liaison with representatives of all political groups and the Elections Manager.

(b)        SUPPORTED the following principles in drawing up a scheme:

-       electoral wards to be single-Member wards, where possible and practical;

-       small parishes not to form part of an electoral ward with large parishes, where possible and practical.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) will shortly be starting their review of the electoral arrangements of South Cambridgeshire District Council.

The review will have far reaching consequences. It will result in a change to the number of councillors elected to SCDC. It will change ward boundaries and ward names across the whole of the district. All members and residents will be affected by the changes that will be implemented as a result of this review.

To help members get an understanding of the scope and potential impact of the review, the LGBCE have agreed to deliver a member workshop in Cambourne on Monday 8^th June at 11.30 am. This workshop is an ideal opportunity for members to get a better understanding of the aims of the review – what the LGBCE want to achieve, and what the Council might look like at the end of the process. Members will also have the chance to put their questions to the Commission in an informal setting.