The Torfaen (Communities) Order 2013

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2013 No. 2156 (W. 211)

Local Government, Wales

The Torfaen (Communities) Order 2013

Made

28 August 2013

The Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales have submitted to the Welsh Ministers, in accordance with sections 54(1) and 58(1) of the Local Government Act 1972(1), a report dated January 2013 on a review carried out by Torfaen County Borough Council on the community boundaries for the County of Torfaen, together with the proposals the Commission have formulated on the community boundaries.

The Welsh Ministers have decided to give effect to those proposals without modification.

More than six weeks have elapsed since those proposals were submitted to the Welsh Ministers.

The Welsh Ministers make the following Order in exercise of those powers conferred on the Secretary of State by section 58(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 and now vested in them so far as exercisable in relation to Wales(2).

Title

1.  The title of this Order is the Torfaen (Communities) Order 2013.

Commencement

2.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2),

(a) for all purposes set out in regulation 4(1) of the Regulations, this Order comes into operation on the day after the day on which it is made;

(b) for all other purposes, this Order comes into operation on 1 April 2014, which is the appointed day for the purpose of the Regulations.

(2) Articles 5, 6 and 10 come into operation—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on the ordinary day of election of councillors following the making of this Order, on 15 October in the year preceding that day;

(b) for all other purposes, on the ordinary day of election of councillors and community councillors following the making of this Order, which is the appointed day for the purposes of the Regulations for articles 5, 6 and 10.

Interpretation

3.  In this Order—

“existing” (“presennol”) in relation to a local government or electoral area, means that area as it exists immediately before the appointed day;

“new” (“newydd”), in relation to a local government or electoral area, means that area as established by this Order;

“the Regulations” (“y Rheoliadau”) means the Local Government Area Changes Regulations 1976(3);

any reference to a map means one of the seven maps marked “Map of the Torfaen (Communities) Order 2013”, duly labelled 1 to 8 for reference and deposited in accordance with regulation 5 of the Regulations;

any reference to an electoral division is a reference to an electoral division of Torfaen County Borough; and

where a boundary is shown on a map as running along a road, railway line, footway, watercourse or similar geographical feature, it is treated as running along the centre line of the feature.

Local government area changes

4.  Changes are made in the local government area of Torfaen County Borough in accordance with the following provisions of this Order.

Croesyceiliog and New Inn – Changes to Community Areas and Consequential Changes to Electoral Arrangements

5.—(1) The parts of the community of New Inn shown hatched on Maps 1 and 2—

(a) are transferred to the community of Croesyceiliog;

(b) form part of the Croesyceiliog North ward of the community of Croesyceiliog; and

(c) form part of the electoral division of Croesyceiliog North.

(2) In the community of Croesyceiliog the number of community councillors to be elected for the ward of Croesyceiliog North is 5.

Llanyrafon – Changes to Community Wards and Consequential Changes to Electoral Arrangements

6.—(1) In the community of Llanyrafon—

(a) the existing community wards of Llanyrafon North and Llanyrafon South are abolished;

(b) the new community wards of Llanyrafon East and Llanyrafon West are created, shown on Map 3 as the areas marked “Llanyrafon East Ward” and “Llanyrafon West Ward” respectively;

(c) the existing electoral divisions of Llanyrafon North and Llanyrafon South are abolished;

(d) the new electoral division of Llanyrafon West is created, comprising the new community ward of Llanyrafon West;

(e) the new electoral division of Llanyrafon East and Ponthir is created, comprising the new community ward of Llanyrafon East and the existing community of Ponthir;

(f) the number of community councillors to be elected for the Llanyrafon East ward is 1 and for the Llanyrafon West ward is 3; and

(g) the number of councillors to be elected for the Llanyrafon East and Ponthir electoral division is 1 and for the Llanyrafon West electoral division is 1.

Abersychan and Pen Tranch – Changes to Community Areas and Consequential Changes to Electoral Arrangements

7.  The part of the community of Abersychan shown hatched on Map 4—

(a) is transferred to the community of Pen Tranch;

(b) forms part of the Snatchwood ward of the community of Pen Tranch; and

(c) forms part of the electoral division of Snatchwood.

Upper Cwmbran and Pontnewydd – Changes to Community Areas and Consequential Changes to Electoral Arrangements

8.  The part of the community of Upper Cwmbran shown hatched on Map 5—

(a) is transferred to the community of Pontnewydd;

(b) forms part of the Mount Pleasant ward of the community of Pontnewydd; and

(c) forms part of the electoral division of Pontnewydd.

Fairwater and Cwmbran Central – Changes to Community Areas and Consequential Changes to Electoral Arrangements

9.  The part of the community of Fairwater shown hatched on Map 6—

(a) is transferred to the community of Cwmbran Central;

(b) forms part of the St Dials ward of the community of Cwmbran Central; and

(c) forms part of the electoral division of St Dials.

Fairwater and Upper Cwmbran – Changes to Community Areas and Consequential Changes to Electoral Arrangements

10.—(1) The part of the community of Fairwater shown hatched on Map 7—

(a) is transferred to the community of Upper Cwmbran; and

(b) forms part of the electoral division of Upper Cwmbran.

(2) In the community of Upper Cwmbran the new community ward of Thornhill is created, comprising the area shown hatched on Map 8.

(3) In the community of Upper Cwmbran the number of community councillors to be elected for each of the wards of Upper Cwmbran East, Upper Cwmbran West and Thornhill is 1.

Lesley Griffiths

Minister for Local Government and Government Business, one of the Welsh Ministers

28 August 2013

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order, made in accordance with section 58(2) of the Local Government Act 1972, gives effect without modification to proposals of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales (“the Commission”). The Commission reported in January 2013 on a review conducted by Torfaen County Borough Council of the community boundaries for the County Borough of Torfaen. The report recommended changes to a number of existing boundaries.

The effect of this Order is that there are changes to a number of community areas and some consequential changes in community council electoral arrangements. Changes are made to the boundaries of Abersychan, Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran Central, Fairwater, New Inn, Pen Tranch, Pontnewydd and Upper Cwmbran. The existing Llanyrafon community wards of Llanyrafon North and Llanyrafon South are abolished and the new community wards of Llanyrafon East and Llanyrafon West are created. The new community ward of Thornhill is created. Consequential changes are made to the electoral arrangements in the County of Torfaen, including the creation of the new electoral divisions of Llanyrafon East and Ponthir, and Llanyrafon West.

Prints of the boundary maps 1 to 8 to which this Order relates are deposited and may be inspected during normal office hours at the offices of Torfaen County Borough Council, and at the offices of the Welsh Government at Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ (Local Government and Communities Division).

(1)

1972 c.70; section 54(1) was amended by paragraph 7(1) of Schedule 15 to the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c.19), paragraph 12 of Schedule 3 to the Local Government Act 1992 (c.19) and section 40(2) of the Police and Magistrates Court Act 1994 (c.29); section 58(1) was amended by paragraph 11(1) of Schedule 15 to the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c.19), and section 168(2) of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 (c.4).

(2)

The powers of the Secretary of State were transferred to the National Assembly for Wales by the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/672) and are now vested in the Welsh Ministers by virtue of paragraph 30 of Schedule 11 to the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c.32).

(3)

S.I. 1976/246 (as amended by various statutory instruments which are not relevant to this Order).