The District of Epping Forest (Electoral Changes) Order 2001

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the District of Epping Forest (Electoral Changes) Order 2001.

(2) This article and articles 2, 3, 10 and 11 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 2nd May 2002, on 15th October 2001;

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

(3) Articles 5, 7, 8 and 9 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election of the parish councillors for the parishes of Epping, Ongar, Sheering and Waltham Abbey on 1st May 2003, on 15th October 2002.

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

(4) Articles 4 and 6 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election of the parish councillors for the parishes of Chigwell and Loughton on 6th May 2004, on 15th October 2003;

(b) for all other purposes, on 6th May 2004.

(5) In this Order—

“district” means the district of Epping Forest;

“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 District of Epping Forest (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 district of Epping Forest

2.—(1) The existing wards of the district of Epping Forest(2) shall be abolished.

(2) The district shall be divided into thirty-two wards which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 1.

(3) The wards shall comprise the areas described in column (2) of that Schedule by reference to parishes, or parishes and parish wards, 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 the district of Epping Forest

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

(2) Elections of all councillors for all wards of the district 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 district 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) Where the number of councillors elected in 2002 for any ward of the district is two or more—

(a) the first to retire shall, subject to paragraphs (6) and (7), be the councillor elected by the smallest number of votes; and

(b) the second to retire shall, subject to those paragraphs, be the councillor elected by the next 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 Chigwell

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

(2) The parish shall be divided into three parish wards which shall bear the names Chigwell Row, Chigwell Village and Grange Hill; and each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for the Chigwell Row parish ward shall be two, for the Chigwell Village parish ward shall be four, and for the Grange Hill parish ward shall be five.

Wards of the parish of Epping

5.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Epping shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into two parish wards which shall bear the names Epping Hemnall and St John's; the Epping Hemnall parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name, and the St John’s parish ward shall consist of the rest of the parish.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each parish ward shall be six.

Wards of the parish of Loughton

6.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Loughton shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into seven parish wards which shall bear the names Loughton Alderton, Loughton Broadway, Loughton Fairmead, Loughton Forest, Loughton Roding, Loughton St John’s and Loughton St Mary's; and each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each of the Loughton Alderton, Loughton Broadway, Loughton Fairmead, Loughton Forest, Loughton St John’s and Loughton St Mary’s parish wards shall be three, and for the Loughton Roding parish ward shall be four.

Wards of the parish of Ongar

7.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Ongar shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into four parish wards which shall bear the names Chipping Ongar, Greensted, Marden Ash and Shelley; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 5 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each of the Chipping Ongar and Marden Ash parish wards shall be four, for the Greensted parish ward shall be two, and for the Shelley parish ward shall be five.

Wards of the parish of Sheering

8.—(1) The parish of Sheering shall be divided into two parish wards which shall bear the names Lower Sheering and Sheering Village; the Lower Sheering parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name, and the Sheering Village ward shall consist of the rest of the parish.

(2) The number of councillors to be elected for the Lower Sheering parish ward shall be seven, and for the Sheering Village parish ward shall be four.

Wards of the parish of Waltham Abbey

9.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Waltham Abbey shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into five parish wards which shall bear the names Waltham Abbey High Beach, Waltham Abbey Honey Lane, Waltham Abbey North East, Waltham Abbey Paternoster and Waltham Abbey South West; and each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district wards bearing the same name.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each of the Waltham Abbey High Beach, Waltham Abbey North East, Waltham Abbey South West, and Waltham Abbey Paternoster parish wards shall be two, and for the Waltham Abbey Honey Lane parish ward shall be three.

Parish elections

10.—(1) Elections of all parish councillors for the parishes of Roydon and Sheering shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2003 and every fourth year after 2003.

(2) The ordinary election of parish councillors for the parish of Moreton in 2003 shall not take place; and any such parish councillor holding office immediately before 5th May 2003 who would, but for this paragraph, have retired on that date shall, unless he resigns his office or it otherwise becomes vacant, continue to hold office until the fourth day after the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2004.

(3) Elections of all parish councillors for the parishes of Abbess, Beauchamp and Berners Roding, Fyfield, High Ongar, Moreton, Stapleford Abbotts, Stapleford Tawney, Stanford Rivers and Theydon Bois, Theydon Garnon, Theydon Mount and Willingale shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2004 and every fourth year after 2004.

(4) The term of office of any parish councillor to whom paragraphs (1) and (3) of this article applies shall be four years; and those parish 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.

(5) Rule 8 of the Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) Rules 1986(4) (filling of casual vacancies) shall have effect, in the case of a casual vacancy occuring before 10th May 2004 in the office of a parish councillor for the parish of Moreton as if the references in paragraphs (1) and (4) of that rule to the day on which that councillor would regularly have retired were a reference to 10th May 2004.

Revocation

11.  The District of Epping Forest (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

4th July 2001