The Borough of Southend-on-Sea (Electoral Changes) Order 2000

Statutory Instruments

2000 No. 1487

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The Borough of Southend-on-Sea (Electoral Changes) Order 2000

Made

5th June 2000

Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2) and (3)

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 November 1999 on its review of the borough(2) of Southend-on-Sea together with its recommendations:

And whereas the Secretary of State has decided to give effect to those recommendations:

Now, therefore, the Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 17(3) and 26 of the Local Government Act 1992, and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Order:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Borough of Southend-on-Sea (Electoral Changes) Order 2000.

(2) This article and articles 2, 3 and 5 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 3rd May 2001, on 10th October 2000;

(b) for all other purposes, on 3rd May 2001.

(3) Article 4 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election of a parish councillor for the parish of Leigh-on-Sea to be held on 1st May 2003, on 10th October 2002;

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

(4) In this Order—

“borough” means the borough of Southend-on-Sea;

“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 of the Environment, Transport and the Regions marked “Map of the Borough of Southend-on-Sea (Electoral Changes) Order 2000”, and deposited in accordance with regulation 27 of the Local Government Changes for England Regulations 1994(4); 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 Southend-on-Sea

2.—(1) The existing wards of the borough(5) shall be abolished.

(2) The borough shall be divided into seventeen wards which shall bear the names set out in the Schedule.

(3) The wards shall comprise the areas designated on the map by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by red lines.

(4) The number of councillors to be elected for each ward shall be three.

(5) 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 Southend-on-Sea

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

(2) Elections of all councillors for all wards of the borough shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2001(6).

(3) The councillors holding office for any ward of the borough immediately before 7th May 2001 shall retire on that date and the newly-elected councillors for those wards shall come into office on that date.

(4) Of the councillors elected in 2001 in each ward of the borough—

(a) one shall retire in 2002 being, subject to paragraphs (5) and (6), the councillor elected by the smallest number of votes;

(b) one shall retire in 2003 being, subject to those paragraphs, the councillor elected by the next smallest number of votes; and

(c) the remaining councillor shall retire in 2004.

(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.

(8) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (4), 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 Leigh-on-Sea

4.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Leigh-on-Sea shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into eight parish wards which shall bear the names Bonchurch, Elms, Herschell, Highlands, Leigh Road, St Clements, St James and Thames; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 3 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 parish wards of Bonchurch and St James shall be one, for each of the parish wards of Herschell, Leigh Road, St Clements and Thames shall be two, and for each of the parish wards of Elms and Highlands shall be three.

Revocation

5.  The Borough of Southend-on-Sea (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975 and article 7 of the Essex (Boroughs of Colchester, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock and District of Tendring) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996(7) are hereby revoked.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions

Beverley Hughes

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

5th June 2000

Article 2(2)

SCHEDULE NAME OF WARDS

• Belfairs

• Blenheim Park

• Chalkwell

• Eastwood Park

• Kursaal

• Leigh

• Milton

• Prittlewell

• St Laurence

• St Luke's

• Shoeburyness

• Southchurch

• Thorpe

• Victoria

• Westborough

• West Leigh

• West Shoebury

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 Southend-on-Sea. It has effect in relation to the election of borough councillors at elections on and after 3rd May 2001.

Article 2 abolishes the existing wards of the borough and provides for the creation of seventeen new wards. That article and the Schedule also make provision for the names and areas of, and numbers of councillors for, the new wards.

Article 3 makes provision for a whole council election in 2001 and for reversion to elections by thirds in subsequent years.

Article 4 makes electoral changes in the parish of Leigh-on-Sea with effect from the parish elections to be held on 1st May 2003.

Article 5 revokes the Borough of Southend-on-Sea (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975 and article 7 of the Essex (Boroughs of Colchester, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock and District of Tendring) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996.

The areas of the new borough wards are demarcated on the map described in article 1(4). Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and at the offices of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 2nd Floor, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DE.

(1)

1992 c. 19.

(2)

The non-metropolitan district of Southend-on-Sea has the status of a borough.

(3)

Section 17 is amended by section 39(4) and (5) of the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994 (c. 29).

(4)

S.I. 1994/867, to which there are amendments not relevant to this Order.

(5)

See the Borough of Southend-on-Sea (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975 (S.I. 1975/1698).

(6)

For the ordinary day of election of councillors of local government areas, see section 37 of the Representations of the People Act 1983 (c. 2), amended by section 18(2) of the Representation of the People Act 1985 (c. 50).

(7)

See the Essex (Borough of Colchester, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock and District of Tendring) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996 (S.I. 1996/1875).