The Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001

Statutory Instruments

2001 No. 2439

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001

Made

4th July 2001

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 November 2000 on its review of the borough(2) of Chelmsford together with its recommendations:

And whereas the Secretary of State has decided to give effect, with modifications, to those recommendations:

Now, therefore, the Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 17(3) 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 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(4); 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 Chelmsford

2.—(1) The existing wards of the borough(5) 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.

Elections of the council of Chelmsford

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(6) 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.

Wards of the parish of Great Baddow

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.

Wards of the parish of Springfield

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.

Number of parish councillors

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.

Revocation

7.  The Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975(7), the Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1987, and article 6(3) of the Chelmsford (Parishes) Order 1987(8) 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

article 2

SCHEDULE NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

(1)	(2)	(3)
Name of Ward	Area of Ward	Number of Councillors
Bicknacre and East and West Hanningfield	The parishes of East Hanningfield, West Hanningfield, and Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre	2
Boreham and The Leighs	The parishes of Boreham and Great and Little Leighs	2
Broomfield and The Walthams	The parishes of Broomfield, Great Waltham and Little Waltham	3
Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park		3
Chelmsford Rural West	The parishes of Chignall, Good Easter, Highwood, Mashbury, Pleshey and Roxwell	1
Galleywood	The parish of Galleywood	2
Goat Hall		2
Great Baddow East		3
Great Baddow West		2
Little Baddow, Danbury and Sandon	The parishes of Danbury, Little Baddow and Sandon	3
Marconi		2
Moulsham and Central		3
Moulsham Lodge		2
Patching Hall		3
Rettendon and Runwell	The parishes of Rettendon and Runwell	2
St Andrews		3
South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting	The parishes of Margaretting, South Hanningfield and Stock	2
South Woodham—Chetwood and Collingwood	The parish wards of Chetwood and Collingwood of South Woodham Ferrers parish	3
South Woodham—Elmwood and Woodville	The parish wards of Elmwood and Woodville of South Woodham Ferrers parish	3
Springfield North		3
The Lawns		2
Trinity		2
Waterhouse Farm		2
Writtle	The parish of Writtle	2

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order gives effect, subject to modifications, to recommendations by the Local Government Commission for England for electoral changes in the borough of Chelmsford. The changes have effect in relation to local government elections to be held on and after 1st May 2003.

The modifications relate to boundaries of some of the proposed new wards. The Secretary of State has decided that the areas of Pitfield, Millers Croft and Roberts Court shall be moved into the Great Baddow East Borough Ward and the area of Hanlee Brook shall be moved into the Great Baddow West Borough Ward.

Article 2 abolishes the existing wards of the borough and provides for the creation of 24 new wards. That article and the Schedule also make provision for the names and areas of, and numbers of councillors for, the new wards.

Article 3 provides for the election of all councillors of the borough of Chelmsford to take place in 2003 and every 4 years after that year.

Articles 4 to 6 make electoral changes to the parishes of Great Baddow, Springfield, South Hanningfield, South Woodham Ferrers and Writtle.

Article 7 revokes the Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975 and the Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1987, and article 6(3) of the Chelmsford (Parishes) Order 1987.

The areas of the new borough and parish wards are demarcated on the map described in article 1(3). Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of Chelmsford Borough Council and at the offices of the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, 2nd Floor, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DE.

(1)

1992 c. 19.

(2)

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

(3)

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

(4)

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

(5)

See the Borough of Chelmsford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1987 (S.I. 1987/483).

(6)

For the ordinary day of election of councillors of local government areas, see section 37 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2), amended by section 18(2) of the Representation of the People Act (c. 50) and section 17 of, and paragraphs 1 and 5 of Schedule 3 to, the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (c. 29).

(7)

S.I. 1975/1914.

(8)

S.I. 1987/478.