The County of Oxfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2004

Statutory Instruments

2004 No. 3251

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The County of Oxfordshire (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 Oxfordshire:

And whereas the Electoral Commission have decided to give effect, with modifications, 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 Oxfordshire (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 Banbury to be held on the ordinary day of elections in 2008, on 15th October 2007;

(b) for all other purposes, on the ordinary day of elections in 2008.

Interpretation

2.  In this Order –

“county” means the county of Oxfordshire;

“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 city wards in the county(6);any reference to the map is a reference to the map marked “Map referred to in the County of Oxfordshire (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 Oxfordshire County Council; and

any reference to a numbered sheet is a reference to the sheet of the map which bears that number.

Electoral divisions of the county of Oxfordshire

3.—(1) The existing electoral divisions of the county(7) shall be abolished.

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

(3) The electoral divisions shall comprise the areas described in column (2) of the Schedule by reference to wards, parishes, or parish wards 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 the 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 Banbury

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

(2) The parish shall be divided into eight parish wards which shall bear the names Calthorpe, Easington North, Easington South, Grimsbury and Castle, Hardwick, Neithrop North, Neithrop South and Ruscote; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 1 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each of the Grimsbury and Castle, Hardwick, and Ruscote parish wards shall be four, for the Calthorpe parish ward shall be three, for each of the Easington North, Easington South and Neithrop South parish wards shall be two, and for the Neithrop North parish ward shall be one.

Maps

5.  Oxfordshire County Council shall make a print of the map marked “Map referred to in the County of Oxfordshire (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 city 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 Oxfordshire (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 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 district of Cherwell
Banbury Easington	Banbury Calthorpe ward; Easington South parish ward of Banbury parish	1
Banbury Grimsbury and Castle	Banbury Grimsbury and Castle ward	1
Banbury Hardwick	Banbury Hardwick ward; Neithrop North parish ward of Banbury parish	1
Banbury Neithrop	Easington North and Neithrop South parish wards of Banbury parish	1
Banbury Ruscote	Banbury Ruscote ward	1
Bicester	Bicester East ward; Bicester North ward; Bicester Town ward; Bicester West ward	3
Bicester South	Ambrosden and Chesterton ward; Bicester South ward	1
Bloxham	Adderbury ward; Bloxham and Bodicote ward	1
Deddington	Deddington ward; Hook Norton ward; Duns Tew parish; Fritwell parish; Middle Aston parish; North Aston parish; Somerton parish; Souldern parish; Steeple Aston parish	1
Kidlington and Yarnton	Kidlington North ward; Kidlington South ward; Yarnton, Gosford and Water Eaton ward	2
Otmoor and Kirtlington	Kirtlington ward; Otmoor ward; Lower Heyford parish; Upper Heyford parish	1
Ploughley	Caversfield ward; Fringford ward; Launton ward	1
Wroxton	Cropredy ward; Sibford ward; Wroxton ward	1
In the city of Oxford
Barton and Churchill	Barton and Sandhills ward; Churchill ward; Quarry and Risinghurst ward	2
Cowley and Littlemore	Cowley ward; Littlemore ward; Rose Hill and Iffley ward	2
East Oxford	Cowley Marsh ward; St Clement’s ward; St Mary’s ward	2
Headington and Marston	Headington ward; Headington Hill and Northway ward; Marston ward	2
Isis	Hinksey Park ward; Holywell ward; Iffley Fields ward	2
Leys and Lye	Blackbird Leys ward; Lye Valley ward; Northfield Brook ward	2
Summertown and Wolvercote	St Margaret’s ward; Summertown ward; Wolvercote ward	2
West Central Oxford	Carfax ward; Jericho and Osney ward; North ward	2
In the district of South Oxfordshire
Benson	Benson ward; Crowmarsh ward	1
Chalgrove	Chalgrove ward; Garsington ward; Great Milton ward	1
Didcot Ladygrove	Didcot Ladygrove ward	1
Didcot South	Didcot All Saints ward; Didcot Northbourne ward; Didcot Park ward	2
Dorchester and Berinsfield	Berinsfield ward; Sandford ward	1
Goring	Goring ward; Woodcote ward	1
Henley North and Chilterns	Chiltern Woods ward; Henley North ward	1
Henley South	Henley South ward; Harpsden parish; Shiplake parish	1
Moreton	Hagbourne ward; Cholsey parish; Little Wittenham parish; Long Wittenham parish; Moulsford parish	1
Sonning Common	Sonning Common ward; Binfield Heath parish; Eye and Dunsden parish; Kidmore End parish; Mapledurham parish	1
Thame and Chinnor	Chinnor ward; Thame North ward; Thame South ward; Towersey parish	2
Wallingford	Wallingford North ward; Brightwell-cum-Sotwell parish; South parish ward of Wallingford parish	1
Watlington	Watlington ward; Aston Rowant parish; Crowell parish; Sydenham parish; Tetsworth parish	1
Wheatley	Forest Hill and Holton ward; Wheatley ward	1
In the district of Vale of White Horse
Abingdon East	Abingdon Abbey and Barton ward; Abingdon Peachcroft ward	1
Abingdon North	Abingdon Dunmore ward; Abingdon Northcourt ward	1
Abingdon West	Abingdon Caldecott ward; Abingdon Fitzharris ward; Abingdon Ock Meadow ward; Drayton ward	2
Faringdon	Faringdon and The Coxwells ward	1
Grove and Wantage	Grove ward; Wantage Charlton ward; Wantage Segsbury ward	2
Hanneys and Hendreds	Hanneys ward; Hendreds ward; Marcham parish	1
Kennington and Radley	Kennington and South Hinksey ward; Radley ward; Sunningwell parish	1
Kingston Bagpuize	Kingston Bagpuize with Southmoor ward; Longworth ward; Stanford ward	1
North Hinksey and Wytham	North Hinksey and Wytham ward; Dean Court and Farmoor parish wards of Cumnor parish	1
Shrivenham	Craven ward; Greendown ward; Shrivenham ward	1
Sutton Courtenay and Harwell	Blewbury and Upton ward; Harwell ward; Sutton Courtenay and Appleford ward	1
Wootton	Appleton-with-Eaton parish; Besselsleigh parish; Wootton parish; Village parish ward of Cumnor parish; Dry Sandford and Shippon parish wards of St Helen Without parish	1
In the district of West Oxfordshire
Bampton	Alvescot and Filkins ward; Bampton and Clanfield ward; Ducklington ward	1
Burford and Carterton North East	Brize Norton and Shilton ward; Burford ward; Carterton North East ward	1
Carterton South West	Carterton North West ward; Carterton South ward	1
Charlbury	Chadlington and Churchill ward; Charlbury and Finstock ward; Combe parish; Kingham parish; Stonesfield parish	1
Chipping Norton	Chipping Norton ward; Chastleton parish; Cornwell parish; Over Norton parish; Rollright parish; Salford parish	1
Eynsham	Standlake, Aston and Stanton Harcourt ward; Eynsham parish; South Leigh parish	1
Hanborough	Freeland and Hanborough ward; North Leigh ward; Bladon parish; Cassington parish	1
Witney East	Witney East ward; Witney North ward	1
Witney West	Witney Central ward; Witney South ward; Witney West ward	2
Woodstock	The Bartons ward; Blenheim parish; Enstone parish; Glympton parish; Great Tew parish; Heythrop parish; Kiddington with Asterleigh parish; Little Tew parish; Rousham parish; Swerford parish; Tackley parish; Woodstock parish; Wootton parish	1
Wychwood	Ascott and Shipton ward; Hailey, Minster Lovell and Leafield ward; Milton-under-Wychwood ward	1

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order gives effect, with modifications, to recommendations by the Boundary Committee for England, a committee of the Electoral Commission, for electoral changes in the county of Oxfordshire.

The modifications concern the boundaries and names of Banbury Easington, and Banbury Grimsbury and Castle electoral divisions and the names of Kennington and Radley, and West Central Oxford electoral divisions.

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 58 new electoral divisions. That article and the Schedule 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 Banbury.

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

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

The areas of the new parish wards of the parish of Banbury are demarcated on the map described in article 2. Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of Oxfordshire 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 District of Cherwell (Electoral Changes) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/4065), the City of Oxford (Electoral Changes) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/4063), the District of South Oxfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2001 (S.I. 2002/49), the District of Vale of White Horse (Electoral Changes) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/4064), and the District of West Oxfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2001 (S.I. 2002/48).

(7)

See the County of Oxfordshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1983 (S.I. 1983/842). The area of the county of Oxfordshire was altered by the Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire (County Boundaries) Order 1988 (S.I. 1988/241), the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey (County Boundaries) Order 1991 (S.I. 1991/264), and the Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire (County Boundaries) Order 1991 (S.I. 1991/310).

(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. 1983/842.