The Borough of Gravesham (Electoral Changes)Order 2001

Statutory Instruments

2001 No. 3587

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The Borough of Gravesham (Electoral Changes)Order 2001

Made

1st November 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 May 2001 on its review of the borough(2) of Gravesham together with its recommendations:

And whereas the Secretary of State has decided to give effect 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 Gravesham (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 Gravesham;

“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 Gravesham (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 borough of Gravesham

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

(2) The borough shall be divided into eighteen 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.

Elections of the council of Gravesham

3.—(1) The ordinary elections of all councillors of the borough of Gravesham 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 Meopham

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

(2) The parish shall be divided into three parish wards which shall bear the names Camer and Meopham Green, Culverstone and Harvel, and Nurstead and Hook Green; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 3 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 four.

Revocation

5.  The Borough of Gravesham (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 is 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

1st November 2001

article 2

SCHEDULENAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

(1)(2)(3)
Name of WardArea of WardNumber of Councillors
Central3
Chalk1
Coldharbour2
HighamThe parish of Higham2
Istead Rise2
Meopham North2
Meopham South and Vigo2
Northfleet North3
Northfleet South3
Painters Ash3
Pelham3
Riverside3
Riverview2
Shorne, Cobham and LuddesdownThe parishes of Cobham, Luddesdown and Shorne2
Singlewell3
Westcourt3
Whitehill2
Woodlands3

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

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

Article 2 abolishes the existing wards of the borough and provides for the creation of 18 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 Gravesham to take place in 2003 and every 4 years after that year.

Article 4 makes electoral changes to the parish of Meopham.

Article 5 revokes the Borough of Gravesham (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977.

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 Gravesham 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.

(2)

The non-metropolitan district of Gravesham 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 Gravesham (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 (S.I. 1977/1894), as amended by the Gravesham (Parishes) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/3349).

(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 1985 (c. 50) and section 17 of, and paragraphs 1 and 5 of Schedule 3 to, the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (c. 29).