The District of Breckland (Electoral Changes) Order 2002

Statutory Instruments

2002 No. 3221

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The District of Breckland (Electoral Changes) Order 2002

Made

18th December 2002

Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2)

Whereas the Boundary Committee for England(1), acting pursuant to section 15(4) of the Local Government Act 1992(2), has submitted to the Electoral Commission(3) a report dated July 2002 on its review of the district of Breckland together with its recommendations:

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

And whereas a period of not less than six weeks has expired since the receipt of those recommendations:

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 District of Breckland (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 1st May 2003, on the day after that on which it is made;

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

Interpretation

2.  In this Order—

“district” means the district of Breckland;

“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 marked “Map referred to in the District of Breckland (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 Breckland District Council;

Wards of the district of Breckland

3.—(1) The existing wards of the district(6) shall be abolished.

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

(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.

Wards of the parish of Attleborough

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

(2) The parish shall be divided into two parish wards which shall bear the names Burgh and Haverscroft and Queen's: and the parish ward of Burgh and Haverscroft shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name, and the parish ward of Queen’s shall comprise the rest of the parish.

(3 The number of councillors for the parish ward of Burgh and Haverscroft shall be six, and for the parish ward of Queen’s shall be nine.

Wards of the parish of Dereham

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

(2) The parish shall be divided into four parish wards which shall bear the names Dereham-Central, Dereham-Humbletoft, Dereham-Neatherd and Dereham-Toftwood; and each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name, and the number of councillors to be elected for the parish ward of Dereham-Humbletoft shall be two, for the parish wards of Dereham-Central and Dereham-Neatherd shall be three and for the parish ward of Dereham-Toftwood shall be four.

Wards of the parish of Thetford

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

(2) The parish shall be divided into four parish wards which shall bear the names Thetford-Abbey, Thetford-Castle, Thetford-Guildhall and Thetford-Saxon; and each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name, and the number of councillors to be elected for the parish ward of Thetford-Castle shall be two, for the parish ward of Thetford-Abbey shall be four, and for the parish wards of Thetford-Guildhall and Thetford-Saxon shall be five.

Maps

7.  Breckland District Council shall make a print of the map marked “Map referred to in the District of Breckland (Electoral Changes) Order 2002” available for inspection at its offices by any member of the public at any reasonable time.

Electoral registers

8.  The Electoral Registration Officer(7) for the district 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

9.  The District of Breckland (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1978(8) is revoked, save for article 5.

Signed by the members of the Electoral Commission

Pamela Gordon

Commissioner

12th December 2002

Glyn Mathias

Commissioner

12th December 2002

Neil McIntosh

Commissioner

12th December 2002

Karamjit Singh

Commissioner

18th December 2002

Sam Younger

Commissioner

12th December 2002

Graham Zellick

Commissioner

12th December 2002

article 3

SCHEDULE NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

(1)	(2)	(3)
Name of Ward	Area of Ward	Number of councillors
All Saints	The parishes of Great Ellingham, Little Ellingham, Rocklands and Scoulton	1
Buckenham	The parishes of New Buckenham and Old Buckenham	1
Burgh and Haverscroft		2
Conifer	The parishes of Cranwich, Didlington, Hilborough, Ickburgh, Mundford, Stanford, Sturston and Tottington	1
Dereham-Central		2
Dereham-Humbletoft		1
Dereham-Neatherd		2
Dereham-Toftwood		2
East Guiltcross	The parishes of Banham, Quidenham and Snetterton	1
Eynsford	The parishes of Bawdeswell, Bylaugh, Foxley, Lyng and Sparham	1
Haggard de Toni	The parishes of Bradenham and Saham Toney	1
Harling and Heathlands	The parishes of Brettenham, Bridgham, Garboldisham, Harling, Kilverstone, Riddlesworth, and Roudham and Larling.	2
Hermitage	The parishes of Colkirk, Horningtoft, Stanfield, Tittleshall, Weasenham All Saints, Weasenham St Peter, Wellingham and Whissonsett	1
Launditch	The parishes of Beeston with Bittering, Great Dunham, Kempstone, Lexham, Litcham, Little Dunham and Rougham	1
Mid Forest	The parishes of Beachamwell, Cockley Cley, Foulden, Gooderstone, Great Cressingham, Little Cressingham, Oxborough, South Pickenham	1
Nar Valley	The parishes of Narborough, Narford, Newton by Castle Acre and South Acre and Sporle with Palgrave	1
Necton	The parish of Necton	1
Queen's		3
Shipdham	The parish of Shipdham	1
Springvale and Scarning	The parishes of Fransham, Gressenhall, Longham, Scarning and Wendling	2
Swaffham	The parish of Swaffham	3
Swanton Morley	The parishes of Elsing, Hoe and Swanton Morley	1
Taverner	The parishes of Beetley, Brisley and Mileham	1
Templar	The parishes of Carbrooke, Caston, Griston and Ovington	1
Thetford-Abbey		2
Thetford-Castle		1
Thetford-Guildhall		3
Thetford-Saxon		3
Two Rivers	The parishes of East Tuddenham, Hockering, Mattishall and North Tuddenham	2
Upper Wensum	The parishes of Billingford, Bintree, Gateley, Guist, North Elmham and Twyford	1
Upper Yare	The parishes of Cranworth, Garvestone, Hardingham, Whinburgh and Westfield, and Yaxham	1
Watton	The parish of Watton	3
Wayland	The parishes of Hockham, Merton, Shropham, Stow Bedon, Thompson and Wretham	1
Weeting	The parishes of Croxton, Lynford and Weeting-with-Broomhill	1
West Guiltcross	The parishes of Blo'Norton, Kenninghall, North Lopham and South Lopham	1
Wissey	The parishes of Ashill, Holme Hale and North Pickenham	1

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order gives effect to recommendations by the Boundary Committee for England, a committee of the Electoral Commission, for electoral changes in the district of Breckland.

The changes have effect in relation to local government elections to be held on and after 1st May 2003.

Article 3 abolishes the existing wards of the district and provides for the creation of 36 new wards. That article and the Schedule also make provision for the names and areas of, and numbers of councillors for, the new wards.

Articles 4 to 6 make electoral changes in the parishes of Attleborough, Dereham and Thetford.

Article 8 obliges the Electoral Registration Officer to make any necessary amendments to the electoral register to reflect the new electoral arrangements.

Article 9 revokes the District of Breckland (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1978 (S.I. 1978/1612), with the exception of article 5.

The areas of the new district 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 Breckland District Council and at the principal office of the Electoral Commission at Trevelyan House, Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2HW,

(1)

The Boundary Committee for England is a committee of the Electoral Commission, established by the Electoral Commission in accordance with section 14 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (c. 41). The Local Government Commission for England (Transfer of Functions) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3962) transferred to the Electoral Commission the functions of the Local Government Commission for England.

(2)

1992 c. 19. This section has been amended by S.I. 2001/3962.

(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 and also otherwise in ways not relevant to this Order.

(5)

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

(6)

See the District of Breckland (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1978 (S.I. 1978/1612).

(7)

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).

(8)

S.I. 1978/1612.