The County of Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2004

Citation and commencement

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the County of Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2004.

(2) This Order, with the exception of article 4, shall come into force –

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2005, on the day after that on which it is made;

(b) for all other purposes, on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2005.

(3) Article 4 shall come into force –

(a) for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to the election of a parish councillor for the parish of Symondsbury to be held on the ordinary day of elections in 2007, on 15th October 2006;

(b) for all other purposes, on the ordinary day of elections in 2007.

Interpretation

2.  In this Order –

“county” means the county of Dorset;

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

references to wards, unless the context otherwise requires, are references to district and borough wards in the county(1);

any reference to the map is a reference to the map marked “Map referred to in the County of Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2004”, of which prints are available for inspection at –

(a)

the principal office of the Electoral Commission; and

(b)

the offices of Dorset County Council.

Electoral divisions of the county of Dorset

3.—(1) The existing electoral divisions of the county(2) shall be abolished.

(2) The county shall be divided into forty-two electoral divisions which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 1.

(3) The electoral divisions shall comprise the areas described in column (2) of that Schedule by reference to wards, parishes, or parish wards or, where an area is not so described, the area designated on the map by reference to the name of the electoral division and demarcated by red lines; and the number of councillors to be elected for each electoral division shall be the number specified in respect of the electoral division 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 Symondsbury

4.  The parish of Symondsbury shall be divided into two parish wards which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 2; each parish ward shall comprise the area of the electoral division specified in respect of the parish ward in column (2) of that Schedule, and the number of councillors to be elected for each parish ward shall be the number specified in respect of the parish ward in column (3) of that Schedule.

Maps

5.  Dorset County Council shall make a print of the map marked “Map referred to in the County of Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2004” available for inspection at its offices by any member of the public at any reasonable time.

Electoral registers

6.  The Electoral Registration Officer(3) for each district or borough in the county 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 County of Dorset (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1983(4) is revoked, save for article 5.

Sealed with the seal of the Electoral Commission on the 9th day of December 2004

L.S.

Sam Younger

Chairman of the Commission

9th December 2004

Jacqui Dixon

Secretary to the Commission

9th December 2004