The Borough of Milton Keynes (Electoral Changes) Order 2001

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Borough of Milton Keynes (Electoral Changes) Order 2001.

(2) This article and articles 2, 3 and 8 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 2nd May 2002, on the day after that on which it is made;

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

(3) Articles 6 and 7 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to elections of parish councillors for the parishes of Bradwell Abbey, Woughton on the Green and Shenley Church End to be held on 1st May 2003, on 15th October 2002;

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

(4) Articles 4 and 5 shall come into force—

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to elections of parish councillors for the parishes of Newport Pagnell and West Bletchley to be held on 6th May 2004, on 15th October 2003;

(b) for all other purposes, on 16th May 2004.

(5) In this Order—

“borough” means the borough of Milton Keynes;

“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 Borough of Milton Keynes (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 borough of Milton Keynes

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

(2) The borough shall be divided into twenty-three 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, parish wards and parishes and 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 Milton Keynes

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 2002(3).

(3) The councillors holding office for any ward of the borough 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 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.

(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 had 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 Newport Pagnell

4.  The parish of Newport Pagnell shall be divided into two parish wards which shall bear the names Newport Pagnell North and Newport Pagnell South; and each parish ward shall comprise the area of the borough ward bearing the same name, and the number of councillors to be elected for each parish ward shall be eight.

Wards of the parish of West Bletchley

5.—(1) The existing ward of the parish of West Bletchley shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into ten parish wards which shall bear the names Castles, Church Green, Denbigh North East, Denbigh North West, Denbigh West, Fairways, Poets, Racecourses, Rivers and Saints and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 4 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for the Castles, Church Green, Denbigh West, Fairways, Poets, Racecourses and Saints parish wards shall be two, and for the Denbigh North East, Denbigh North West and Rivers parish wards shall be three.

Wards of the parish of Woughton on the Green

6.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Woughton on the Green shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into eight parish wards which shall bear the names Beanhill and Redmoor, Coffee Hall and Bleak Hall, Eaglestone, Leadenhall, Netherfield, Peartree Bridge, Tinkers Bridge, and Woughton Village and Woughton Park 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 the Beanhill and Redmoor, Coffee Hall and Bleak Hall, Eaglestone and Netherfield parish wards shall be three, for the Peartree Bridge, Tinkers Bridge, and Woughton Village and Woughton Park parish wards shall be two and for the Leadenhall parish ward shall be one.

Numbers of parish councillors

7.—(1) The number of parish councillors to be elected for the parish of Bradwell Abbey shall be seven.

(2) The number of parish councillors to be elected for the parish of Shenley Church End shall be seven.

Parish Elections

8.—(1) The ordinary elections of parish councillors for the parish of Bradwell Abbey in 2002 shall not take place; and any such parish councillor holding office immediately before 6th May 2002 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 2003.

(2) The ordinary elections of parish councillors for the parishes of Clifton Reynes, Lavendon and Newton Blossomville 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) The term of office of any parish councillor elected on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2000 for the parish of Stoke Goldington shall be three years.

(4) Elections of all parish councillors for the parish of Bradwell Abbey and Stoke Goldington shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2003 and every fourth year after 2003.

(5) Elections of all parish councillors for the parishes of Clifton Reynes, Lavendon and Newton Blossomville shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2004 and every fourth year after 2004.

(6) The term of office of parish councillors elected in accordance with any of paragraphs 4 and 5 above shall be four years; and they 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.

(7) 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 occurring before 5th May 2003 in the office of a parish councillor for the parish of Bradwell Abbey 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 5th May 2003.

(8) Rule 8 of the Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) Rules 1986 (filling of casual vacancies) shall have effect, in the case of a casual vacancy occurring before 10th May 2004 in the office of a parish councillor for the parishes of Clifton Reynes, Lavendon and Newton Blossomville 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

9.  Article 9 of the Buckinghamshire (Borough of Milton Keynes) (Structural Changes) Order 1995 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

20th December 2001