PAPER D
Committee: FULL COUNCIL
Date : 19 JULY 2006
Title : ESTABLISHMENT
OF A PARISH COUNCIL FOR RYDE
REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
IMPLEMENTATION DATE : IMMEDIATE
SUMMARY/PURPOSE
1.
On 7th June
2006 the Isle Of Wight Council received a petition calling for the creation of
a “Ryde Parish Council”, with the boundaries as set out in the map included
with Appendix A. The Council, within three months, has to pass the petition
onto the Secretary Of State and the Electoral Commission, as received, 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 various “electoral matters”, and on the proposed boundary of
the Parish Council.
CONFIDENTIAL/EXEMPT
ITEMS
2.
None. Since the Petition
was received we have undertaken a period of consultation including the use of
an Official Notice, letters 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, Andrew Turner MP, and a Public Meeting.
BACKGROUND
3.
The petition was
received on 7th June 2006, and the petition, along with associated
maps, comments and recommendations must be passed to the Secretary Of State and
the Electoral Commission by 7th September 2006. Appendix A contains
a summary of the feedback that has been received during the consultation
process.
STRATEGIC
CONTEXT
- The Isle Of Wight
Council has an existing policy of supporting the creation of Parish
Councils, and indeed the emparishment of the whole Island forms one of the
specific targets of “Aim High”, the Isle of Wight Council’s Change
Management Plan.
CONSULTATION
5.
Due to the tight
timescales imposed by the Local Government and Rating Act 1997, a period of
public consultation was commenced upon receipt of the petition. The details of
this consultation are attached in Appendix A.
FINANCIAL/BUDGET
IMPLICATIONS
6.
Some
expenditure has already been incurred with the consultation process, all of
which has been met from within existing budgets.
7.
The
costs of running any Parish Council created as a result of this petition will
be met from any precept levied by that Parish Council. The costs of running
elections can be controlled by ensuring that boundaries are, where appropriate,
coterminous with Electoral Divisions to avoid small and fragmented Polling
Districts. Little additional expenditure would be anticipated, as changes to
Polling Districts can be effected easily via our existing computer systems.
LEGAL
IMPLICATIONS
8.
The
petition has been submitted under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 and
as detailed above the Isle of Wight Council has to, within three months, pass
the petition and plan, as received, to the Secretary of State and the Electoral
Commission along with any comments that the Council may make on the petition and any information the Council has
relating to local opinion on the proposal.
9.
It
will be for the Secretary of State (currently Ruth Kelly at the Department of
Communities and Local Government) to determine if a Parish Council is created
as a consequence of the petition. The Council can only express views on the
proposal.
OPTIONS
10.
The
Isle of Wight Council can make recommendations to the Secretary Of State on a
number of options:
·
The Council may
conclude that it does not wish to make any recommendations or comments on the
petition;
·
The Council may
conclude that it supports the creation of the Parish Council;
·
The Council may make recommendations
on the number of Councillors who should serve on the Parish Council, and how
the number of Councillors should be distributed between the Wards of the Parish
Council.
EVALUATION/RISK
MANAGEMENT
11.
The
map submitted with the Petition seeks to emparish 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.
12.
The Isle of Wight
Council is also being asked to make recommendations on the number of
Councillors who should serve on the Parish Council.
13.
Warding:
Section 2, Schedule 11 of the Local Government Act 1972 requires that Town and
Parish Councils be divided into Wards where existing Electoral Division
boundaries bisect or divide the Parish Council area.
14.
Given this requirement the proposed Parish
Council would be divided into eight Wards, along the boundaries of the eight
existing electoral divisions.
15.
Number of members: At the Public Meeting, a very large majority
of those present were in favour of having 16 members serving on the Parish
Council, with each Ward having two members.
The electorate of the proposed Parish Council area will be roughly
17670, and this equates to one member per 1105 electors
16.
Risks
are minimal with this process. Officers must ensure that any recommendation for
emparishment is put forward to the Secretary Of State and the Electoral
Commission in accordance with the provisions contained within the Local
Government and Rating Act 1997.
RECOMMENDATIONS
17.
Given the feedback
obtained from the Public Meeting and other sources, it is recommended:
a.
That the Isle of
Wight Council support the petition for the establishment of the “Ryde” Parish
Council.
b.
That
boundaries of the Parish Council be as defined by the map presented with the
Petition (and as set out in Appendix A).
c.
That the Parish Council should consist of 16
members.
d.
That
the Parish Council area should be divided into Wards along the boundaries of
the eight existing electoral divisions.
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BACKGROUND
PAPERS
18.
Appendix A – Consultation, Feedback
and map of proposed Parish area
Contact Point :Clive Joynes, Elections and Land Charges Manager, ( 823342
Email: clive.joynes@iow,gov.uk
JOE
DUCKWORTH
Chief
Executive