Appendix A

 

Petition for the creation of “Ryde” Parish Council

 

 

1.            Background:

 

1.1    The Isle of Wight Council received a petition on 7th June 2006 calling for the creation of a “Ryde” 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 Ryde 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 Monday 3rd July 2006 for inclusion in this report to Council. Comments received after this date will still be forwarded to both the Secretary Of State and the Electoral Commission.

 

2.2       In addition to the Official Notice, letters of notification were sent to neighbouring Parish Councils and Community Partnerships, Isle of Wight Council members whose Electoral Divisions are both contained within and adjacent to the petition area, 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 Ryde Theatre on the evening of Wednesday 28th June 2006; this meeting had been publicised in the Official Notice.

 

2.4    This report details the consultation work undertaken with stakeholders regarding the petition for the creation of a “Ryde” 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 7:00pm in the Ryde Theatre on Wednesday 28th June 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 currently unparished areas of the existing Electoral Divisions of Ashey, Binstead, Ryde North West, Ryde North East, Ryde South West, Ryde South East, St. Johns West and St. Johns East, and does not include any area of land that is currently parished.

4.      Feedback from the Public Meeting:

 

4.1       Thirty-six people attended the public meeting, all of whom lived within the area in question, and the meeting provided a good deal of positive feedback for the creation of the Parish Council.

 

4.2       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, thirty-three were in favour, with none against and two abstentions.

 

4.3       The meeting noted that as the area contained within the map presented with the petition either directly abuts land that is currently emparished or is bounded by the sea, that there was no scope for revising any proposed boundary of the parish.

 

4.4       The meeting also noted that legislation requires a Parish Council to be warded where it crosses existing Electoral Division boundaries. Therefore the Parish Council would have to Warded along the boundaries of the eight Electoral Divisions within Ryde, thus creating eight Wards.

 

4.5       Finally the possible electoral arrangements for the Parish Council were discussed. A suggestion was put to the meeting that the Parish Council should consist of sixteen members, as this is in line with a number of Parish and Town Councils on the mainland of a similar electorate, and is also the same as the Ryde Town Management Committee, where sixteen members seems to be working well.

 

4.6       Following a discussion it was proposed that the Parish Council should consist of sixteen members, with each ward having two members, and a show of hands gave thirty-three persons in favour of this, with one against and two abstentions.

 

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       Messages supporting the formation of Ryde Parish Council were received from:

 

·        Brading Town Council

·        Nettlestone and Seaview Parish Council

·        The Isle of Wight Association of Parish and Town Councils

·        The Clerk to Gurnard Parish Council

 

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, Elections and Land Charges manager. Tel (01983) 823341

                                    [email protected]

 

 

 

 

Area of Proposed Ryde Parish Council