The County of Somerset (Electoral Changes) Order 2000

Statutory Instruments

2000 No. 2491

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The County of Somerset (Electoral Changes) Order 2000

Made

11th September 2000

Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2) and (3)

Whereas the Local Government Commission for England, acting pursuant to section 15(4) of the Local Government Act 1992(1), has submitted to the Secretary of State a report dated November 1999 on its review of the county of Somerset together with its recommendations:

And whereas the Secretary of State has decided to give effect, subject to one modification, to those recommendations:

Now, therefore, the Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 17(2) and 26 of the Local Government Act 1992, and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Order:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the County of Somerset (Electoral Changes) Order 2000.

(2) This article and articles 2 and 5 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 3rd May 2001, on 10th October 2000;

(b) for all other purposes, on 3rd May 2001.

(3) Articles 3 and 4 of this Order shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election of a parish councillor for the parish of Frome or Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge on 1st May 2003, on 10th October 2002;

(b) for all other purposes, on 1st May 2003.

(4) In this Order—

“county” means the county of Somerset;

“existing”, in relation to a division or ward, means the division or ward as it exists on the date this Order is made;

references to wards, unless the context otherwise requires, are references to district and borough wards in the county(3);

any reference to the map is a reference to the map prepared by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions marked “Map of the County of Somerset (Electoral Changes) Order 2000”, and deposited in accordance with regulation 27 of the Local Government Changes for England Regulations 1994(4); and

any reference to a numbered sheet is a reference to the sheet of the map which bears that number.

Divisions of the county of Somerset

2.—(1) The existing divisions of the county(5) shall be abolished.

(2) The county shall be divided into fifty-eight divisions which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 1.

(3) The divisions shall comprise the areas described in column (2) of that Schedule by reference to wards, wards and parishes, wards and parish wards or, where no area is so described, the area designated on the map by reference to the name of the division and demarcated by red lines; and the number of councillors to be elected for each division shall be one.

(4) Where a boundary is shown on the map as running along a road, railway line, footway, watercourse or similar geographical feature, it shall be treated as running along the centre line of the feature.

Wards of the parish of Frome

3.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Frome(6) shall be abolished.

(2) The parish of Frome shall be divided into six parish wards which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 2; each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward or county division specified in respect of the parish ward in column (2) of that Schedule; and the number of councillors to be elected for each parish ward shall be the number specified in respect of the parish ward in column (3) of that Schedule.

Wards of the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge

4.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge(7) shall be abolished.

(2) The parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge shall be divided into five parish wards which shall bear the names Burnham East, Burnham North, Burnham Central and South, Burnham West, and Highbridge; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 5 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each of the Burnham North and Highbridge wards shall be six, for the Burnham Central and South ward shall be three, for the Burnham East ward shall be two, and for the Burnham West ward shall be one.

Revocation

5.  The County of Somerset (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1980, article 3 of the District of Mendip (Electoral Changes) Order 1998 and article 3 of the District of Sedgemoor (Electoral Changes) Order 1998 are hereby revoked.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions

Hilary Armstrong

Minister of State,

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

11th September 2000

article 2

SCHEDULE 1 NAMES AND AREAS OF ELECTORAL DIVISIONS

(1)	(2)
Name of Division	Area of Division
In the district of Mendip
Frome North	The Frome Berkeley Down and Frome Fromefield wards
Frome Selwood
Frome South
Glastonbury	The Glastonbury St Benedict's, Glastonbury St Edmund's, Glastonbury St John’s and Glastonbury St Mary’s wards
Mendip Central and East	The Beacon, Postlebury and Stratton wards and the parish of Trudoxhill
Mendip North East	The Beckington and Rode, Coleford and Nordinton wards and the parishes of Elm, Mells and Whatley
Mendip North West	The Ashwick and Ston Easton, Chilcompton, Nedge, and Rodney and Priddy wards
Mendip South	The Avalon, Creech, Pylcombe and Vale wards
Mendip West	The Knowle, Moor, and St Cuthbert (Out) North and West wards
Shepton Mallet	The Shepton East and Shepton West wards
Street	The Street North, Street South and Street West wards
Wells	The Wells Central, Wells St Cuthbert’s and Wells St Thomas wards
In the district of Sedgemoor
Brent	The Axe Vale, Berrow, Brent North and Knoll wards
Bridgwater East and Bawdrip
Bridgwater North and Central
Bridgwater South
Bridgwater West
Burnham-on-Sea North
Cannington	The Cannington and Quantocks and Sandford wards
Cheddar	The Axbridge and Cheddar and Shipham wards
Highbridge and Burnham-on-Sea South
Huntspill	The Huntspill and Pawlett, Puriton and Woolavington wards
King Alfred	The East Poldens, Wedmore and Mark and West Poldens wards
North Petherton	The North Petherton ward and the parishes of Middlezoy, Othery and Westonzoyland
In the district of South Somerset
Blackmoor Vale	The Blackmoor Vale and Milborne Port wards
Castle Cary	The Camelot and Cary wards
Chard North	The Blackdown, Chard Avishayes, Chard Combe and Chard Crimchard wards
Chard South	The Chard Holyrood, Chard Jocelyn, and Tatworth and Forton wards
Coker	The Coker and Parrett wards
Crewkerne	The Crewkerne ward
Curry Rivel	The Curry Rivel, Islemoor and Neroche wards
Ilchester	The Brympton, Ivelchester and St Michael’s wards
Ilminster	The Ilminster and Windwhistle wards
Langport	The Burrow Hill, Langport and Huish, and Turn Hill wards
Martock	The Hamdon and Martock wards
Somerton	The Northstone and Wessex wards
South Petherton	The Eggwood and South Petherton wards
Wincanton and Bruton	The Bruton, Tower and Wincanton wards
Yeovil East	The Yeovil East ward, the parish ward of Lyde of Yeovil Without parish and the parish ward of Mudford Urban of Mudford parish
Yeovil North and Central	The Yeovil Central ward and the parish ward of Combe of Yeovil Without parish
Yeovil South	The Yeovil South ward
Yeovil West	The Yeovil West ward and the parish ward of Brimsmore of Yeovil Without parish
In the borough of Taunton Deane
Blackdown and Wellington East	The Blackdown, Monument and Wellington East wards
Lydeard	The Bishop’s Lydeard and Norton Fitzwarren wards and the parishes of Lydeard St Lawrence, Ash Priors, Combe Flory, Tolland and West Bagborough
North Curry	The Neroche, North Curry, Ruishton and Creech and Stoke St Gregory wards
Staplegrove	The Staple Grove and West Monkton wards
Taunton and Trull	The Taunton Manor and Wilton, and Trull wards
Taunton East	The Taunton Eastgate and Taunton Halcon wards
Taunton Fairwater
Taunton North
Taunton South	The Taunton Blackbrook and Holway, and Taunton Killams and Mountfield wards
Taunton West	The Bishop’s Hull and Comeytrowe wards
Upper Tone	The Bradford-on-Tone and Wiveliscombe and West Deane wards and the parishes of Milverton, Fitzhead and Halse
Wellington	The Wellington North and Wellington Rockwell Green and West wards
In the district of West Somerset
Dulverton and Exmoor	The Aville Vale, Dulverton and Brushford, Exmoor, Porlock and District, and Quarme wards
Dunster	The Alcombe East, Brompton Ralph and Haddon, Carhampton and Withycombe, Dunster, and Old Cleeve wards
Minehead	The Alcombe West, Minehead North, and Minehead South wards
Watchet and Quantocks	The Crowcombe and Stogumber, Quantock Vale, Watchet, West Quantock and Williton wards

article 3

SCHEDULE 2 WARDS OF THE PARISH OF FROME

NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

(1)	(2)	(3)
Name of Ward	Area of Ward	Number of Councillors
Frome Berkeley Down	The district ward of Frome Berkeley Down	4
Frome Fromefield	The district ward of Frome Fromefield	4
Frome Keyford	The district ward of Frome Keyford	4
Frome Park East	So much of the county division of Frome South as comprises the parish of Frome	2
Frome Park West	So much of the county division of Frome Selwood as comprises the parish of Frome	2
Frome Welshmill	The district ward of Frome Welshmill	4

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order gives effect, with one modification, to recommendations by the Local Government Commission for England for electoral changes in the county of Somerset. The changes have effect in relation to local government elections to be held on or after 3rd May 2001.

The modification amends the apportionment of the 18 parish councillors to parish wards in the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge.

Article 2 abolishes the existing divisions of the county and provides for the creation of 58 new divisions. That article and Schedule 1 also make provision for the names and areas of the new divisions. One councillor is to be elected for each division.

Articles 3 and 4 make electoral changes in the parishes of Frome and Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge. The changes have effect in relation to local government elections to be held on or after 1st May 2003.

Article 5 revokes the County of Somerset (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1980, article 3 of the District of Mendip (Electoral Changes) Order 1998 and article 3 of the District of Sedgemoor (Electoral Changes) Order 1998.

The areas of the new divisions and of the new parish wards of the parish of Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge are demarcated on the map described in article 1(4). Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of Somerset County Council and at the offices of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 2nd Floor, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DE.

(1)

1992 c. 19.

(2)

Section 17 is amended by section 39(4) and (5) of the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994 (c. 29).

(3)

See the District of Mendip (Electoral Changes) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/2464), the District of Sedgemoor (Electoral Changes) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/2465), the District of South Somerset (Electoral Changes) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/2462), the Borough of Taunton Deane (Electoral Changes) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/2461) and the District of West Somerset (Electoral Changes) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/2463).

(4)

S.I. 1994/867, to which there are amendments not relevant to this Order.

(5)

See the County of Somerset (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1980 (S.I. 1980/1725).

(6)

See the District of Mendip (Electoral Changes) Order 1998.

(7)

See the District of Sedgemoor (Electoral Changes) Order 1998.