The Borough of Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 2002

Statutory Instruments

2002 No. 2234

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The Borough of Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 2002

Made

29th August 2002

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 December 2001 on its review of the borough(2) of Thurrock together with its recommendations:

And whereas the Electoral Commission(3) have decided to give effect to those recommendations:

And whereas a period of not less than six weeks beginning with the submission of the report has expired:

Now, therefore, the Electoral Commission, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by sections 17(4) and 26(5) of the Local Government Act 1992, and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Borough of Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 2002.

(2) This Order shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 6th May 2004(6), on 15th October 2003;

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

Interpretation

2.  In this Order—

“borough” means the borough of Thurrock;

“existing”, in relation to a ward, means the ward as it exists on the date this Order is made;

any reference to a map is a reference to a map marked “Map of the Borough of Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 2002”, of which prints are available for inspection at—

(a) the principal office of the Electoral Commission; and

(b) the offices of Thurrock Borough Council; and

any reference to a numbered sheet is a reference to the sheet of the map which bears that number.

Wards of the borough of Thurrock

3.—(1) The existing wards of the borough(7) shall be abolished.

(2) The borough shall be divided into twenty wards which shall bear the names set out in 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 the number specified in respect of the ward in column (2) 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 Thurrock

4.—(1) Elections of all councillors for all wards of the borough shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2004(8)(9).

(2) The councillors holding office for any ward of the borough immediately before 6th May 2004 shall retire on that date and the newly elected councillors for those wards shall come into office on that date.

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

(4) Where the number of councillors elected in 2004 for any ward of the borough 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.

(5) 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.

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

(7) 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.

Maps

5.  The Thurrock Borough Council shall make a print of the map marked “Map of the Borough of Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 2002” available for inspection at its offices by any member of the public at any reasonable time.

Electoral Registers

6.  The Electoral Registration Officer(10) for the borough shall make such rearrangement of, or adaptation of, the register of local government electors as may be necessary for the purposes of, and in consequence of, this Order.

Revocation

7.  The Borough of Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 1997(11) is revoked, save for article 3(1) and 3(11).

Signed by the members of the Electoral Commission

Pamela Gordon

Commissioner

29th August 2002

Glyn Mathias

Commissioner

21st August 2002

Neil McIntosh

Commissioner

7th August 2002

Karamjit Singh

Commissioner

7th August 2002

Sam Younger

Commissioner

7th August 2002

Graham Zellick

Commissioner

15th August 2002

article 3

SCHEDULE 1 NAMES OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

(1)	(2)
Name of Ward	Number of Councillors
Aveley and Uplands	3
Belhus	3
Chadwell St Mary	3
Chafford and North Stifford	2
Corringham and Fobbing	2
East Tilbury	2
Grays Riverside	3
Grays Thurrock	3
Little Thurrock Blackshots	2
Little Thurrock Rectory	2
Ockendon	3
Orsett	2
South Chafford	2
Stanford East and Corringham Town	3
Stanford-le-Hope West	2
Stifford Clays	2
The Homesteads	3
Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park	2
Tilbury St Chads	2
West Thurrock and South Stifford	3

article 4(3)

SCHEDULE 2 ORDER OF RETIREMENT OF COUNCILLORS

(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Name of Ward	Number of councillors to retire in 2006	Number of councillors to retire in 2007	Number of councillors to retire in 2008
Aveley and Uplands	1	1	1
Belhus	1	1	1
Chadwell St Mary	1	1	1
Chafford and North Stifford	0	1	1
Corringham and Fobbing	0	1	1
East Tilbury	0	1	1
Grays Riverside	1	1	1
Grays Thurrock	1	1	1
Little Thurrock Blackshots	1	0	1
Little Thurrock Rectory	1	1	0
Ockendon	1	1	1
Orsett	1	0	1
South Chafford	1	0	1
Stanford East and Corringham Town	1	1	1
Stanford-le-Hope West	0	1	1
Stifford Clays	1	1	0
The Homesteads	1	1	1
Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park	1	1	0
Tilbury St Chads	1	0	1
West Thurrock and South Stifford	1	1	1

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 Thurrock. The recommendations were submitted to the Secretary of State, but the functions of the Secretary of State under sections 13 to 15 and 17 of the Local Government Act 1992 so far as they relate to electoral changes were transferred with modifications to the Electoral Commission under The Local Government Commission for England (Transfer of Functions) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3962), with effect from 1st April 2002. That Order provides that recommendations submitted to the Secretary of State before 1st April would have effect as if they had been submitted to the Electoral Commission.

The changes have effect in relation to local government elections to be held on and after 6th May 2004.

Article 3 abolishes the existing wards of the borough and provides for the creation of 20 new wards. That article and Schedule 1 also make provision for the names and areas of, and numbers of councillors for, the new wards.

Article 4 makes provision for a whole council election in 2004 and for reversion to the established system of election by thirds in subsequent years. Schedule 2 provides for the order of retirement of councillors.

Article 6 obliges the Electoral Registration officer to make any necessary amendments to the electoral register to reflect the new electoral arrangements.

Article 7 revokes the Borough of Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 1997 (S.I. 1997/775) with the exception of article 3(1) and 3(11).

The areas of the new borough wards are demarcated on the map described in article 2. Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of Thurrock Borough Council and at the principal office of the Electoral Commission, Trevelyan House, Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2HW.

(1)

1992 c. 19. This section has been amended by the Local Government Commission for England (Transfer of Functions) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3962).

(2)

The non-metropolitan district of Thurrock has the status of a borough.

(3)

The Electoral Commission was established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c. 41). The functions of the Secretary of State, under sections 13 to 15 and 17 of the Local Government Act 1992, to the extent that they relate to electoral changes within the meaning of that Act, were transferred with modifications to the Electoral Commission on 1st April 2002 (S.I. 2001/3962).

(4)

This section has been amended by S.I. 2001/3962. There are amendments to this section made otherwise than by S.I. 2001/3962 that are not relevant to this order.

(5)

This section has been amended by S.I. 2001/3962.

(6)

See the Boroughs of Halton, Thurrock and Warrington (Changes to Years of Elections) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/1670). This provides in the case of Thurrock for the borough elections that would otherwise have taken place in 2003 to take place in 2004.

(7)

See the Borough of Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 1997 (S.I. 1997/775).

(8)

Article 4 provides for a single election of all the councillors and for reversion to the system of elections by thirds, as established by article 3(1) and 3(11) of the Borough of Thurrock (Electoral Changes) Order 1997.

(9)

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).

(10)

As to electoral registration officers and the register of local government electors, see sections 8 to 13 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2).

(11)

S.I. 1997/775.