APPENDIX A

 

Petition for the creation of “Northwood” Parish Council

 

 

1.            Background:

 

1.1    The Isle Of Wight Council received a petition on 9th January 2006 calling for the creation of a “Northwood” Parish Council. The Council is obliged to pass the petition onto the Secretary of State and the Electoral Commission as received within a period of thirteen weeks of receipt, along with the Council’s views on the petition and any information the Council has relating to local opinion on the proposal. The Council may also make recommendations on the proposed boundary and the electoral arrangements of the Parish Council.

 

2.            Consultation:

 

2.1    An Official Notice was placed in the Isle Of Wight County Press, and used within the Northwood area. The notice gave the locations of where the map of the proposed boundary could be viewed, including the Isle of Wight Council website, iwight.com, and requested that any comments on the boundary itself or the subsequent electoral arrangements be submitted to the Council by Thursday 2nd March 2006.

 

2.2       In addition to the Official Notice, letters of notification were sent to neighbouring Parish Councils and Community Partnerships, neighbouring Isle of Wight Council members, the Isle of Wight Youth Council, the Isle of Wight Society of Local Council Clerks, the Isle of Wight Association of Parish and Town Councils, and the MP for the Isle of Wight, Andrew Turner.

 

2.3       A public meeting was held in the Northwood WI Hall on the evening of Friday 24th February 2006; this meeting had been publicised in both the Official Notice, and the newsletter of the local Isle of Wight Council member, Councillor Roger Mazillius.

 

2.4    This report details the consultation work undertaken with stakeholders regarding the petition for the creation of a “Northwood” Parish Council, the feedback received, and makes recommendations to Council in the light of that consultation.

 

3.            The Public Meeting:

 

3.1    The Public Meeting was held at 7:30pm in the Northwood WI Hall on Friday 24th February 2006. A large-scale map of the area contained within the map submitted with the petition was on display.

 

3.2       It was noted that the proposed area included the whole of one Isle of Wight Council Electoral Division, and did not include any land that was already emparished.

 

4.      Feedback from the Public Meeting:

 

4.1       Around 46 people attended the public meeting, all but one of whom lived within the area in question.

 

4.2       The meeting provided a good deal of positive feedback for the creation of the Parish Council. Of those present, only one person raised any degree of objection to the proposals, mainly focused around the extra precept that would have to be levied, and the need to actually have a Parish Council.

 

4.3       After an initial discussion on the establishment of a Parish Council, a show of hands was taken on the question of whether those present were in favour of the creation of such a body. Of those present, 39 were in favour, with 1 against and 2 abstentions.

 

4.4       A further show of hands was taken on the proposed boundary. 44 people were in favour of the boundary as proposed in the petition, with 1 person against, due to their expressed opposition to the formation of a Parish Council.

 

4.5       The matter of Warding arrangements was discussed next, and the overriding impression obtained from the meeting was one of universal agreement, with people from all parts of the area agreeing to co-operate to see their plans brought to fruition, and without any possible sub-division into factions through the warding of the area. Due to the obvious strength of feeing no show of hands on warding was taken, and when questioned no one present had any objection to the proposed Parish Council being unwarded.

 

4.6       Finally the possible electoral arrangements for the Parish Council were discussed. There were some variations in opinion as to the number of members who should serve on the Council. However, the majority (38 people) favoured having 8 members, whilst 5 people preferred 9 members, and two people favoured having 10 members.

 

 

5.     Results of the Consultation Process:

 

5.1       Other than the feedback received during the course of the Public Meeting, very few other comments were received regarding the content of the petition for the creation of the Parish Council.

 

5.2       Three messages of support were received, two from members of the Isle of Wight Council whose Electoral Divisions border the proposed Parish Council area, and one from Gurnard Parish Council, which is adjacent to the proposed area.

 

5.3       One letter was received from an elector within the proposed Parish Council area who suggested that if the Parish Council were to be served by eight members, that the Parish Council area should be divided into eight wards so that each member would be able to concentrate their efforts and representation on a smaller number of electors. However, as outlined in 4.4 and 4.5 above, the mood of the public meeting was overwhelming in the view that the Parish Council area should not be divided into Wards.

 

5.4       Only one letter of objection to the formation of a Parish Council has been received by the Isle of Wight Council, and the writer felt that the process was undemocratic as a local referendum on the matter cannot be held.

 

 

6.0       Recommendations:

 

6.1       All recommendations associated with the proposed Parish Council are contained within the main body of this report.

 

    

Contact Point:            Clive Joynes, Electoral Services Officer. Tel 823341

                                    [email protected]