Agenda item

Electoral Review of Northumberland Phase 2 Submission

To update Council on phase two of the Electoral Review of Northumberland County Council being undertaken by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) and to present the Council’s proposed submission on divisional patterns.

Electoral Review of Northumberland Phase 2 Submission

The report updated Council on phase two of the Electoral Review of Northumberland County Council being undertaken by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) and presented the Council’s proposed submission on divisional patterns.

The Leader reported that staff had worked hard on this with all Groups to secure cross party agreement. The result was testament to the staff and to the good will of members and group leaders in finding something everyone could agree on. If there were any last minute changes required before submission, these would be looked at. The Boundary Commission were not bound to accept the Council’s submission but having cross party support gave it strength. He moved the report’s recommendations, which was seconded by Councillor Bridgett.

Councillor Hill asked if individual members would be consulted if they were affected by any last minute tweaks, and the Leader agreed this would be done.

Councillor Bridgett thanked Phil Hunter and the team for their work on this and asked if the Council was prepared for the Boundary Commission to not accept the Council’s proposals, which would require extensive consultation with local parish councils to ensure they were able to make the case on behalf of their communities. Phil Hunter confirmed this was the case.

Councillor Dale asked how Parish Councils had been informed about the review as she had received an email from a parish council about it. Members were informed that all parish councillors had been invited to a briefing on 12 December and all parish clerks had received an email the day before from the Boundary Commission reminding them about the need to respond.

Councillor Dickinson felt that the process had been as inclusive as it could be. The staff had tried their best to please everyone which he knew was very difficult. A broad consensus had been reached but he cautioned of the need to be aware going forward of where communities could be having their needs cancelled out by being moved into a more affluent area. This could be about available funding or the organisations which serviced those areas.

Councillor Kennedy agreed that there had been good joint working on this between the Group Leaders. He referred to a number of electoral divisions in the old Tynedale area which were below the average number and which had been determined by the Boundary Commission based on the justification they had provided at the time. He felt there may be some challenges to meet if it was all about numbers going forward, rather than communities.

Councillor Reid agree that officers had done a fantastic job in the timescales involved and the criteria which had been set for them. He felt this needed to be accepted now because ultimately, the Council would need to consider in detail what the Boundary Commission came back with in April. He would not be surprised if the Boundary Commission did not accept any of the Council’s proposals and members would need to be prepared for that.

Councillor Morphet commented that officers had generally done a good job but the Green Party did not support the proposal to split Alnwick into two divisions. A two councillor division for Alnwick served to promote effective and convenient local government by allowing resident’s to choose which councillor to go to. It also encouraged councillors of different parties to work together for the benefit of residents. The boundary proposed by the County Council split the historic heart of Alnwick away from the rest of the town at the expense of community identity and interest.

Councillor Castle agreed that a two member division could be made to work but it relied too heavily on a good relationship. However, the figures were inescapable and he had 8000 residents to deal with, some of whom took advantage of the two member situation. He felt that two divisions was a better solution.

Councillor Dale suggested that the Council provide evidence for those cases where they were supporting a large variance in numbers.

The Business Chair commented that he acknowledged his own electoral division would change significantly following extreme population growth in his area and he commended officers for their work, and councillors who had worked in a co-operative way on what could have been a very difficult topic.

Councillor Bridgett expressed his thanks to Phil Hunter and his team, particularly Ryan Gilchrist who had worked exceptionally hard on this project. He felt it was the best possible solution, and it was fair. The solution to be put forward respected the integrity of the communities which had ties with each other. The key thing for the Boundary Commission was electoral equality but they did listen to reasoned arguments about variances and he hoped that would be the case here.

The Leader thanked all members and Group Leaders for their work on this.

On being put to the vote there voted FOR: a substantial majority; AGAINST: 1; ABSTENTIONS: 0. 

It was therefore RESOLVED that:-

(a )     the update on the Electoral Review currently being undertaken by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England be noted;

(b )     the submission by the interim Senior Service Director being made on Divisional patterns be noted; 

(c )     authority be delegated to the interim Senior Service Director to make any final changes to the Council’s submission on Divisional patterns, to be exercised in consultation with Leader of the Council and all other Group Leaders, before submitting to the Boundary Commission; and 

(d )     it be noted that political groups, individual Members, partners, community groups, residents and other bodies may make their own separate submissions to the Boundary Commission during this phase of consultation.