1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001.
(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.
(3) In this Order—
“borough” means the borough of Chelmsford;
“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 prepared by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions marked “Map of the Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001”, and deposited in accordance with regulation 27 of the Local Government Changes for England Regulations 1994(1); and
any reference to a numbered sheet is a reference to the sheet of the map which bears that number.
2.—(1) The existing wards of the borough(2) shall be abolished.
(2) The borough shall be divided into twenty-four 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 parish wards 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 that 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.
3.—(1) The ordinary elections of all councillors of the borough shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of non-metropolitan district councillors in 2003(3) and every fourth year after 2003.
(2) The term of office of councillors shall be four years; and all councillors shall retire on the fourth day after the ordinary day of election of councillors in the year of retirement and the newly-elected councillors shall come into office on the day on which their predecessors retire.
4.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Great Baddow shall be abolished.
(2) The parish shall be divided into three parish wards which shall bear the names Barrow Road, Rothmans and Village; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 2 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.
(3) The number of councillors to be elected for the Baddow Road parish ward shall be three, and for the Rothmans and Village parish wards shall be five.
5.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Springfield shall be abolished.
(2) The parish shall be divided into two parish wards which shall bear the names Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park, and Springfield North; and each parish ward shall comprise the area of the borough ward bearing the same name.
(3) The number of councillors to be elected for the Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park parish ward shall be seven and for the Springfield North parish ward shall be eight.
6.—(1) The number of parish councillors to be elected for the parish of South Hanningfield shall be twelve, of whom three shall be elected for the parish ward of Downham, seven for the parish ward of Ramsden Heath, and two for the parish ward of South Hanningfield.
(2) The number of parish councillors to be elected for the parish of South Woodham Ferrers shall be twenty, of whom five shall be elected for each of the parish wards of Chetwood, Collingwood, Elmwood and Woodville.
(3) The number of parish councillors to be elected to the parish of Writtle shall be fifteen, of whom eight shall be elected for the parish ward of North and seven for the parish ward of South.
7. The Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975(4), the Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1987, and article 6(3) of the Chelmsford (Parishes) Order 1987(5) are hereby revoked.
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions
Alan Whitehead
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,
Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions
4th July 2001