The Borough of Blackburn with Darwen (Electoral Changes) Order 2002

Statutory Instruments

2002 No. 3223

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The Borough of Blackburn with Darwen (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 June 2002 on its review of the borough(4) of Blackburn with Darwen together with its recommendations:

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

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

Now, therefore, the Electoral Commission, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by sections 17(5) and 26(6) 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 Blackburn with Darwen (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(7), on 15th October 2003;

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

Interpretation

2.  In this Order—

“borough” means the borough of Blackburn with Darwen;

“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 Borough of Blackburn with Darwen (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 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.

Wards of the borough of Blackburn with Darwen

3.—(1) The existing wards of the borough(8) 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 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 Blackburn with Darwen

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(9)(10).

(2) The councillors holding office for any ward of the borough immediately before 10th 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.  Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council shall make a print of the map marked “Map referred to in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen (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(11) for the borough shall make such rearrangement of, or adapation of, the register of local government electors as may be necessary for the purposes of, and in consequence of, this Order.

Revocation

7.  Article 3 of The Borough of Blackburn (Parishes and Electoral Changes) Order 1997(12) is revoked.

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 1 NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

(1)	(2)	(3)
Name of Ward	Area of Ward	Number of councillors
Audley		3
Bastwell		3
Beardwood with Lammack		3
Corporation Park		3
Earcroft		2
East Rural	The parish of Eccleshill and the parish of Yate and Pickup Bank.	1
Ewood		3
Fernhurst		3
Higher Croft		3
Little Harwood		3
Livesey with Pleasington	The parishes of Livesey and Pleasington	3
Marsh House		3
Meadowhead		3
Mill Hill		3
North Turton with Tockholes	The parishes of North Turton and Tockholes	2
Queen’s Park		3
Roe Lee		3
Shadsworth with Whitebirk		3
Shear Brow		3
Sudell		3
Sunnyhurst		3
Wensley Fold		3
Whitehall		2

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
Audley	1	1	1
Bastwell	1	1	1
Beardwood with Lammack	1	1	1
Corporation Park	1	1	1
Earcroft	0	1	1
East Rural	1	0	0
Ewood	1	1	1
Fernhurst	1	1	1
Higher Croft	1	1	1
Little Harwood	1	1	1
Livesey with Pleasington	1	1	1
Marsh House	1	1	1
Meadowhead	1	1	1
Mill Hill	1	1	1
North Turton with Tockholes	0	1	1
Queen’s Park	1	1	1
Roe Lee	1	1	1
Shadsworth with Whitebirk	1	1	1
Shear Brow	1	1	1
Sudell	1	1	1
Sunnyhurst	1	1	1
Wensley Fold	1	1	1
Whitehall	1	0	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 borough of Blackburn with Darwen. 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 23 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 elections 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 Article 3 of the Borough of Blackburn (Parishes and Electoral Changes) Order 1997 (S.I. 1997/782).

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 Blackburn with Darwen Borough 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 arrangements within the meaning of that Act, were transferred with modifications to the Electoral Commission on 1 April 2002 (S.I. 2001/3962).

(4)

The non-metropolitan district of Blackburn with Darwen has the status of a borough.

(5)

This section has been amended by S.I. 2001/3962 and also otherwise in ways not relevant to this Order.

(6)

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

(7)

See the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen and the City of Peterborough (Changes to Years of Elections) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/2876). This provides in the case of Blackburn with Darwen for the borough elections and certain parish elections that would otherwise have taken place in 2003 to take place in 2004.

(8)

See the Borough of Blackburn (Parishes and Electoral Changes) Order 1997 (S.I. 1997/782). The name of the borough was changed from Blackburn to Blackburn with Darwen with effect from 2nd May 1997 by a resolution the council passed under section 74 of the Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) on 9th January 1997.

(9)

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 4 of the Borough of Blackburn (Parishes and Electoral Changes) Order 1997 (S.I. 1997/782), as amended by S.I. 2002/2876.

(10)

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).

(11)

As to electoral registration officers and the register of local government electors, see sections 8 to 13 of the Representation of the People Act 1982 (c. 2).

(12)

(S.I. 1997/782).