18.—(1) A whole council election of councillors of Buckinghamshire Council is to be held—
(a)on the 2020 election day;
(b)on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2025;
(c)every fourth year thereafter.
(2) For the purposes of the elections of councillors of Buckinghamshire Council—
(a)Buckinghamshire is to be divided into wards;
(b)the names of the new wards are those indicated in column 1 of the Table set out in the Schedule to this Order;
(c)the area of each new ward is to be the same as that of the county council electoral division, as that electoral division existed on 31st March 2020, and as indicated in column 2 of that Table;
(d)each new ward is to return the number of councillors indicated in column 3 of that Table.
(3) At the 2020 election the returning officer and electoral registration officer is the proper officer appointed by the shadow authority in accordance with article 7(7) above (“the Buckinghamshire Council returning officer”).
(4) The Buckinghamshire Council returning officer must take such steps as are necessary or appropriate to prepare for the 2020 election, including the making of all necessary alterations in the electoral register.
(5) The total of the expenditure properly incurred by the Buckinghamshire Council returning officer in relation to the holding of the 2020 election is to be divided among, and paid by, the county council and the district councils in such proportion as may be agreed between them; but, where the returning officer notifies the Secretary of State that there is not such agreement, the Secretary of State may—
(a)determine the proportion; or
(b)appoint an arbitrator for that purpose.
(6) In relation to the 2020 election, “the appropriate officer” in Parts 1 and 2 of the Representation of the People Act 1983(1) does not have the meaning given by section 67(7) of that Act but means the Buckinghamshire Council returning officer.
(7) All councillors elected in 2020 or any later year are to retire on the fourth day after the ordinary day of election of councillors in the year of retirement and the newly-elected councillors are to come into office on the day on which their predecessors retire.
(8) In this article “the year of retirement” —
(a)in relation to councillors elected in 2020 means 2025;
(b)in relation to councillors elected in 2025 or in any later year means the fourth year after the year of election of those councillors.