The Borough of Medway (Electoral Changes) Order 2002

Statutory Instruments

2002 No. 2235

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The Borough of Medway (Electoral Changes) Order 2002

Made

29th August 2002

Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2)

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 December 2001 on its review of the borough(2) of Medway together with its recommendations:

And whereas the Electoral Commission(3) have decided to give effect to those recommendations:

And whereas a period of not less than six weeks beginning with the submission of the report has expired:

Now, therefore, the Electoral Commission, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by sections 17(4) and 26(5) of the Local Government Act 1992, and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Borough of Medway (Electoral Changes) Order 2002.

(2) This Order shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 1st May 2003, on 15th October 2002;

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

Interpretation

2.  In this Order—

“borough” means the borough of Medway;

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

any reference to the map is a reference to the map marked “Map of the Borough of Medway (Electoral Changes) Order 2002”, of which prints are available for inspection at—

(a)

the principal office of the Electoral Commission; and

(b)

the offices of Medway Council; and

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

Wards of the borough of Medway

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

(2) The borough shall be divided into twenty-two wards which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of the Schedule.

(3) The wards shall comprise the areas described in column (2) of the Schedule by reference to parishes, or, where an area is not so described, the area designated on the map by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by red lines; and the number of councillors to be elected for each ward shall be the number specified in respect of the ward in column (3) of the Schedule.

(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 Frindsbury Extra

4.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Frindsbury Extra shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into four parish wards which shall bear the names Frindsbury Extra East, Frindsbury Extra North, Frindsbury Extra South and Frindsbury Extra West; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 6 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each parish ward shall be three.

Wards of the parish of Hoo St Werburgh

5.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Hoo St Werburgh shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into three parish wards which shall bear the names Central, East and West; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 7 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for the Central parish ward shall be seven, for the East parish ward shall be five, and for the West parish ward shall be three.

Maps

6.  Medway Council shall make a print of the map marked “Map of the Borough of Medway (Electoral Changes) Order 2002” available for inspection at its offices by any member of the public at any reasonable time.

Electoral Registers

7.  The Electoral Registration Officer(7) for the borough shall make such rearrangement of, or adaptation of, the register of local government electors as may be necessary for the purposes of, and in consequence of, this Order.

Revocation

8.  The Medway Towns (Parishes and Electoral Changes) Order 1997(8) is revoked, save for articles 2, 4 and 5.

Signed by the members of the Electoral Commission

Pamela Gordon

Commissioner

29th August 2002

Glyn Mathias

Commissioner

30th July 2002

Neil McIntosh

Commissioner

7th August 2002

Karamjit Singh

Commissioner

7th August 2002

Sam Younger

Commissioner

7th August 2002

Graham Zellick

Commissioner

15th August 2002

Article 3

SCHEDULE NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

(1)	(2)	(3)
Name of Ward	Area of Ward	Number of Councillors
Chatham Central		3
Cuxton and Halling	The parishes of Cuxton and Halling	1
Gillingham North		3
Gillingham South		3
Hempstead and Wigmore		2
Lordswood and Capstone		2
Luton and Wayfield		3
Peninsula		3
Princes Park		2
Rainham Central		3
Rainham North		2
Rainham South		3
River		2
Rochester East		2
Rochester South and Horsted		3
Rochester West		2
Strood North		3
Strood Rural		3
Strood South		3
Twydall		3
Walderslade		2
Watling		2

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 borough of Medway. The recommendations were submitted to the Secretary of State, but the functions of the Secretary of State under sections 13 to 15 and 17 of the Local Government Act 1992 so far as they relate to electoral changes were transferred with modifications to the Electoral Commission under the Local Government Commission for England (Transfer of Functions) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3962), with effect from 1st April 2002. That Order provides that recommendations submitted to the Secretary of State before 1st April would have effect as if they had been submitted to the Electoral Commission.

The modification relates to the amendment of the boundary between the Princes Park and Lordswood and Capstone wards.

The changes have effect in relation to local government elections to be held on and after 1st May 2003.

Article 3 abolishes the existing wards of the borough and provides for the creation of 22 new wards. That article and the Schedule also make provision for the names and areas of, and numbers of councillors for, the new wards.

Articles 4 and 5 make electoral changes in the parishes of Frindsbury Extra and Hoo St Werburgh.

Article 7 obliges the Electoral Registration officer to make any necessary amendments to the electoral register to reflect the new electoral arrangements.

Article 8 revokes the Medway Towns (Parishes and Electoral Changes) Order 1997 (S.I. 1997/776), with the exception of articles 2, 4 and 5.

The areas of the new borough wards are demarcated on the map described in article 2. Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of Medway Council and at the principal office of the Electoral Commission at Trevelyan House, Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2HW.

(1)

1992 c. 19. This section has been amended by the Local Government Commission for England (Transfer of Functions) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3962).

(2)

The non-metropolitan district of Medway has the status of a borough.

(3)

The Electoral Commission was established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c. 41). The functions of the Secretary of State, under sections 13 to 15 and 17 of the Local Government Act 1992, to the extent that they relate to electoral changes within the meaning of that Act, were transferred with modifications to the Electoral Commission on 1st April 2002 (S.I. 2001/3962).

(4)

This section has been amended by S.I. 2001/3962. There are amendments to this section made otherwise than by S.I. 2001/3962 that are not relevant to this order.

(5)

This section has been amended by S.I. 2001/3962.

(6)

See the District of the Medway Towns (Parishes and Electoral Changes) Order 1997 (S.I. 1997/776). The name of the borough was changed from Medway Towns to Medway on 1st April 1998.

(7)

As to electoral registration officers and the register of local government electors, see sections 8 to 13 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2).

(8)

S.I. 1997/776.