The County of Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2004

Statutory Instruments

2004 No. 3250

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The County of Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2004

Made

9th December 2004

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

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) recommendations dated July 2004 on its review of the county of Dorset:

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 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(6);

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(7) 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(8) 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(9) 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

article 3

SCHEDULE 1 NAMES AND AREAS OF ELECTORAL DIVISIONS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

Column (1)	Column (2)	Column (3)
Name of Electoral Division	Area of Electoral Division	Number of Councillors
In the borough of Christchurch
Burton Grange	Burton and Winkton ward; Grange ward	1
Christchurch Central		1
Commons		1
Highcliffe and Walkford	North Highcliffe and Walkford ward; West Highcliffe ward	1
Mudeford and Highcliffe	Highcliffe ward; Mudeford and Friars Cliff ward	1
In the district of East Dorset
Colehill and Stapehill	Colehill East ward; Colehill West ward; Stapehill ward	1
Corfe Mullen	Corfe Mullen Central ward; Corfe Mullen North ward; Corfe Mullen South ward	1
Cranborne Chase	Alderholt ward; Crane ward; Handley Vale ward; Chalbury parish; Hinton Martell parish; Hinton Parva parish; Horton West parish ward of Horton parish	1
Ferndown	Ameysford ward; Ferndown Central ward; Ferndown Links ward; Longham ward; Parley ward	2
Minster	Stour ward; Wimborne Minster ward	1
St Leonards and St Ives	St Leonards and St Ives East ward; St Leonards and St Ives West ward	1
Verwood and Three Legged Cross	Three Cross and Potterne ward; Verwood Dewlands ward; Verwood Newtown ward; Verwood Stephen’s Castle ward	2
West Moors and Holt	West Moors ward; Holt parish	1
In the district of North Dorset
Blackmore Vale	Blackmore ward; Lydden Vale ward; Stour Valley ward	1
Blandford	Blandford Damory Down ward; Blandford Hilltop ward; Blandford Langton St Leonards ward; Blandford Old Town ward; Blandford Station ward	1
Gillingham	Gillingham Town ward; Lodbourne ward; Milton ward; Wyke ward	1
Hambledon	Cranborne Chase; Hill Forts ward; The Beacon ward; The Lower Tarrants ward	1
Shaftesbury	Shaftesbury Central ward; Shaftesbury Christy’s ward; Shaftesbury Grosvenor ward; Shaftesbury Underhill ward	1
Stour Vale	Bourton and District ward; Marnhull ward; Motcombe and Ham ward; The Stours ward	1
Winterborne	Abbey ward; Bulbarrow ward; Portman ward; Riversdale ward	1
In the district of Purbeck
Egdon Heath	Bere Regis ward; Winfrith ward; Wool ward; Morden parish	1
Lytchett	Lytchett Minster and Upton East ward; Lytchett Minster and Upton West ward; Lytchett Matravers parish	1
Purbeck Hills	Castle ward; Creech Barrow ward; Langton ward; West Purbeck ward	1
Swanage	Swanage North ward; Swanage South ward	1
Wareham	St. Martin ward; Wareham ward	1
In the district of West Dorset
Beaminster	Beaminster ward; Broadwindsor ward; Compton Valence parish; Frome Vauchurch parish; Hooke parish; Netherbury parish; Rampisham parish; Toller Fratrum parish; Toller Porcorum parish; West Compton parish; Wraxall parish; Wynford Eagle parish	1
Bride Valley	Bradpole ward; Burton Bradstock ward; Loders ward; Bothenhampton parish; Litton Cheney parish; Bradpole Claremont parish ward of Bradpole parish	1
Bridport		1
Chickerell and Chesil Bank	Chickerell ward; Abbotsbury parish; Fleet parish; Kingston Russell parish; Langton Herring parish; Littlebredy parish; Long Bredy parish; Portesham parish; Winterbourne Abbas parish; Winterbourne Steepleton parish	1
Dorchester	Dorchester East ward; Dorchester North ward; Dorchester South ward; Dorchester West ward	2
Linden Lea	Broadmayne ward; Owermoigne ward; Puddletown ward; Bincombe parish; Whitcombe parish; Winterborne Came parish; Winterborne Herringston parish; Winterborne Monkton parish; Winterborne St Martin parish	1
Marshwood Vale		1
Sherborne	Sherborne East ward; Sherborne West ward	1
Sherborne Rural	Bradford Abbas ward; Cam Vale ward; Halstock ward; Queen Thorne ward; Yetminster ward	1
Three Valleys	Charminster and Cerne Valley ward; Frome Valley ward; Piddle Valley ward; Maiden Newton parish	1
In the borough of Weymouth and Portland
Broadwey	Littlemoor ward; Upwey and Broadwey ward; Wey Valley ward	1
Lodmoor	Preston ward; Radipole ward	1
Portland Harbour	Underhill ward; Wyke Regis ward	1
Portland Tophill	Tophill East ward; Tophill West ward	1
Rodwell	Weymouth East ward; Weymouth West ward	1
Westham	Westham North ward; Westham West ward	1
Weymouth Town	Melcombe Regis ward; Westham East ward	1

article 4

SCHEDULE 2 WARDS OF THE PARISH OF SYMONDSBURY

NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

(1)	(2)	(3)
Name of Ward	Area of Ward	Number of Councillors
Symondsbury	So much of the electoral division of Marshwood Vale as comprises the parish of Symondsbury	6
West Cliff	So much of the electoral division of Bridport as comprises the parish of Symondsbury	2

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 county of Dorset.

The changes have effect in relation to local government elections to be held on and after the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2005.

Article 3 abolishes the existing electoral divisions of the county and provides for the creation of 42 new electoral divisions. That article and Schedule 1 also make provision for the names and areas of, and numbers of councillors for, the new electoral divisions.

Article 4 makes electoral changes in the parish of Symondsbury.

Article 6 obliges the Electoral Registration Officer in each district or borough in the county of Dorset to make any necessary amendments to the electoral register to reflect the new electoral arrangements.

Article 7 revokes the County of Dorset (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1983, with the exception of article 5.

The areas of the new electoral divisions are demarcated on the map described in article 2. Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of Dorset County 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 (c. 19), 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 section 89(3) of the Local Government Act 2000 (c. 22), 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 Borough of Christchurch (Electoral Changes) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/2241), the District of East Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/2238), the District of North Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/2239), the District of Purbeck (Electoral Changes) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/2159), the District of West Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/2370), and the Borough of Weymouth and Portland (Electoral Changes) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/2368), as amended by the Borough of Weymouth and Portland (Electoral Changes) (Amendment) Order 2003 (S.I. 2003/1090).

(7)

See the County of Dorset (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983/830). The area of the county of Dorset was altered by the Berkshire, Dorset and Wiltshire (County Boundaries) Order 1989 (S.I. 1989/1213), the Dorset and Somerset (County Boundaries) Order 1991 (S.I. 1991/286), the Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Wiltshire (County Boundaries) Order 1991 (S.I. 1991/2247), and the Dorset (Boroughs of Poole and Bournemouth) (Structural Change) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/1771).

(8)

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).

(9)

S.I. 1983/830.