The City of Oxford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the City of Oxford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001.

(2) This article and articles 2, 3 and 7 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 2nd May 2002, on the day after that on which it is made;

(b) for all other purposes, on 2nd May 2002.

(3) Articles 4, 5 and 6 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to elections of parish councillors for the parishes of Blackbird Leys, Littlemore, and Risinghurst and Sandhills, on 1st May 2003, on 15th October 2002;

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

(4) In this Order—

“city” means the city of Oxford;

“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 City of Oxford (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.

Wards of the City of Oxford

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

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

(3) The wards shall comprise the areas 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 two.

(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 Oxford

3.—(1) Subject to the following provisions of this article, the election of councillors for wards of the city shall be by thirds.

(2) Elections of all councillors for all wards of the city shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2002(3).

(3) The councillors holding office for any ward of the city immediately before 6th May 2002 shall retire on that date and the newly-elected councillors for those wards shall come into office on that date.

(4) The order of retirement of councillors shall be as set out in Schedule 2.

(5) Of the councillors elected in 2002 the first to retire shall, subject to paragraphs (6) and (7), be the councillor elected by the smallest number of votes.

(6) In the case of an equality of votes between any persons elected which makes it uncertain which of them is to retire in any year, the person to retire in that year shall be determined by lot.

(7) If an election of councillors for any ward is not contested, the person to retire in each year shall be determined by lot.

(8) Where under this article any question is to be determined by lot, the lot shall be drawn at the next practicable meeting of the council after the question has arisen and the drawing shall be conducted under the direction of the person presiding at the meeting.

(9) Except as otherwise provided in the preceding paragraphs of this article, 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 Blackbird Leys

4.—(1) The parish of Blackbird Leys shall be divided into two parish wards which shall bear the names Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys; the parish ward of Blackbird Leys shall be coterminous with the city ward of the same name, and the Greater Leys parish ward shall consist of the rest of the parish.

(2) The number of councillors to be elected for each parish ward shall be eight.

Wards of the parish of Littlemore

5.—(1) The parish of Littlemore shall be divided into three parish wards which shall bear the names Littlemore, Rose Hill and Sandy Lane West; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 2 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(2) The number of councillors to be elected for the Littlemore parish ward shall be fifteen, for the Rose Hill parish ward shall be five, and for the Sandy Lane West parish ward shall be one.

Wards of the parish of Risinghurst and Sandhills

6.  The parish of Risinghurst and Sandhills shall be divided into three parish wards which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 3; each parish ward shall comprise the area of the city ward 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.

Revocation

7.  The City of Oxford (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

20th December 2001