1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the District of Suffolk Coastal (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—
“district” means the district of Suffolk Coastal;
“existing”, in relation to a ward, means the ward as it exists on the date this Order is made; and
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 Suffolk Coastal (Electoral Changes) Order 2001”, and deposited in accordance with regulation 27 of the Local Government Changes for England Regulations 1994(1).
2.—(1) The existing wards of the district(2) shall be abolished.
(2) The district shall be divided into thirty-four 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, 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.
3.—(1) The ordinary elections of all councillors of the district of Suffolk Coastal shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of non-metropolitan district councillors in 2003(3) 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.
4.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Felixstowe shall be abolished.
(2) The parish shall be divided into five parish wards which shall bear the names Felixstowe East, Felixstowe North, Felixstowe South, Felixstowe South East and Felixstowe West; each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name; and the number of councillors to be elected for each of the parish wards of Felixstowe East, Felixstowe North, Felixstowe South and Felixstowe South East shall be three and for the parish ward of Felixstowe West shall be four.
5.—(1) The parish of Kesgrave shall be divided into two parish wards which shall bear the names Kesgrave East and Kesgrave West; the parish ward of Kesgrave West shall comprise the area of the district ward of the same name, and the Kesgrave East parish ward shall consist of the rest of the parish.
(2) The number of councillors to be elected for the parish ward of Kesgrave East shall be nine and for the parish ward of Kesgrave West shall be six.
6. The parish of Martlesham shall be divided into three parish wards which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 2; each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district 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.
7.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Woodbridge shall be abolished.
(2) The parish of Woodbridge shall be divided into four parish wards which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 3; each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district 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 four.
8. The District of Suffolk Coastal (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1980 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 December 2001