1998 No. 2159

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND AND WALES

The District of Purbeck (Electoral Changes) Order 1998

Made1st September 1998

Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2)

Whereas the Local Government Commission for England, acting pursuant to section 15(4) of the Local Government Act 19921 has submitted to the Secretary of State a report dated March 1997 on its review of the district of Purbeck together with its recommendations:

And whereas the Secretary of State has decided to give effect with modifications to those recommendations:

Now, therefore, the Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 172 and 26 of the Local Government Act 1992, and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, hereby makes the following Order:

Citation, commencement and interpretation1

1

This Order may be cited as the District of Purbeck (Electoral Changes) Order 1998.

2

This Order shall come into force for all purposes on 6th May 1999, except that for the purpose of all proceedings preliminary or relating to an election to be held on or after 6th May 1999 this Order shall come into force on 10th October 1998.

3

In this Order—

“the district” means the district of Purbeck;
“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 prepared by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions marked “Map of the District of Purbeck (Electoral Changes) Order 1998”, and deposited in accordance with regulation 27 of the Local Government Changes for England Regulations 19943.

Wards of Purbeck2

1

The existing wards of the district4 shall be abolished.

2

The district shall be divided into 14 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 parishes and parish wards or, where no area is 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.

Elections of the council of Purbeck3

1

Subject to the following provisions of this article, the election of councillors for wards of the district shall be by thirds.

2

Elections of all councillors for wards of the district shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 19995.

3

The councillors holding office for any ward in the district immediately before 10th May 1999 shall retire on that date and the newly elected councillors for any such ward shall come into office on that date.

4

The order of retirement of councillors shall be as set out in Schedule 2.

5

Where the number of councillors elected in 1999 for any ward of the district is two, the first to retire shall, subject to paragraphs (7) and (8) below, be the councillor elected by the smaller number of votes.

6

Where the number of councillors elected in 1999 for any ward of the district is three

a

the first to retire shall, subject to paragraphs (7) and (8) below, 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.

7

In the case of an equality of votes between any persons elected which makes it uncertain which of them is to retire in any such year, the person to retire in that year shall be determined by lot.

8

If an election of councillors for any ward is not contested, the person to retire in each such year shall be determined by lot.

9

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.

10

Except as otherwise provided in the foregoing paragraphs of this article, the term of office of councillors shall be four years and all councillors shall retire on the fourth day after the ordinary day of election of councillors in the year of retirement and the newly elected councillors shall come into office on the day on which their predecessors retire.

Numbers of parish councillors4

The number of councillors to be elected for the Church Knowle parish shall be nine.

Parish elections5

1

The term of office of any parish councillor elected on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 1999 for the parishes of Arne and East Stoke shall be three years.

2

Elections of all parish councillors for the parishes of Affpuddle and Turnerspuddle, Bere Regis, Chaldon Herring, Church Knowle, East Lulworth, Langton Matravers, Lytchett Matravers, Morden, Moreton, West Lulworth, Winfrith Newburgh and Worth Matravers shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2002 and every fourth year after 2002.

3

Revocation6

The District of Purbeck (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 is hereby revoked.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

Nick RaynsfordParliamentary Under Secretary of State,Department of the Environment,Transport and the Regions1st September 1998

SCHEDULE 1DISTRICT OF PURBECK: NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

Article 2

(1)	(2)	(3)
Name of ward	Area of ward	Number of Councillors
Bere Regis	The parishes of Bere Regis and Bloxworth	1
Castle	The parishes of Corfe Castle and Studland	1
Creech Barrow	The parishes of Arne, Church Knowle, Kimmeridge, Steeple and Tyneham	1
Langton	The parishes of Langton Matravers and Worth Matravers	1
Lytchett Matravers	The parishes of Lytchett Matravers and Morden	2
Lytchett Minster and Upton East		2
Lytchett Minster and Upton West		2
St. Martin	The parish of Wareham St. Martin	2
Swanage North	The North ward of Swanage parish	2
Swanage South	The South ward of Swanage parish	3
Wareham	The parish of Wareham Town	3
West Purbeck	The parishes of Coombe Keynes, East Holme, East Lulworth, East Stoke and West Lulworth	1
Winfrith	The parishes of Affpuddle, Chaldon Herring, Moreton, Turners Puddle and Winfrith Newburgh	1
Wool	The parish of Wool	2

SCHEDULE 2ORDER OF RETIREMENT OF COUNCILLORS

Article 3

Name of New Ward	Number of Councillors to retire in 2000	Number of Councillors to retire in 2002	Number of Councillors to retire in 2003
Bere Regis		1
Castle			1
Creech Barrow		1
Langton		1
Lytchett Matravers	1	1
Lytchett Minster and Upton East	1		1
Lytchett Minster and Upton West	1		1
St Martin	1		1
Swanage North	1		1
Swanage South	1	1	1
Wareham	1	1	1
West Purbeck		1
Winfrith		1
Wool	1		1

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order gives effect to recommendations by the Local Government Commission for England for electoral changes in the district of Purbeck.

Article 2 abolishes all of the existing wards of the district and provides for the creation of 14 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 3 makes provision for a whole council election in Purbeck in 1999 and for elections by thirds in subsequent years. Schedule 2 provides for the order of retirement of councillors.

Article 4 makes electoral changes in the parish of Church Knowle.

Article 5 makes provision for elections of parish councils in the district.

The areas of the new district wards are demarcated on the map described in article 1(3). Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of Purbeck District Council and at the offices of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which are located at 2nd Floor, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DE.