1999 No. 2476

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The District of Mole Valley (Electoral Changes) Order 1999

Made6th September 1999

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 September 1998 on its review of the district of Mole Valley together with its recommendations:

And whereas the Secretary of State has decided to give effect 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 Mole Valley (Electoral Changes) Order 1999.

2

This Order shall come into force—

a

for the purposes of all proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 4th May 2000, on 10th October 1999;

b

for all other purposes, on 4th May 2000.

3

In this Order—

“the district” means the district of Mole Valley;
“existing”, in relation to a ward, means the ward as it exists on the date this Order is made; and
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 Mole Valley (Electoral Changes) Order 1999”, and deposited in accordance with regulation 27 of the Local Government Changes for England Regulations 19943.

Wards of Mole Valley2

1

The existing wards of the district4 shall be abolished.

2

The district shall be divided into twenty-one 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, parish wards, 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.

4

Where a boundary is shown on the map as running along a road, railway line, footway, waterway or similar geographical feature, it shall be treated as running along the centre line of the feature.

Elections of the council of Mole Valley3

1

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

2

Elections of all councillors for all wards of the district shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 20005.

3

The councillors holding office for any ward of the district immediately before 8th May 2000 shall retire on that date and the newly elected councillors for those wards shall come into office on that date.

4

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

5

Where the number of councillors elected in 2000 for any ward of the district is two or more—

a

the first to retire shall, subject to paragraphs (6) and (7) 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.

6

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.

7

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

8

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.

9

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.

Revocation4

The District of Mole Valley (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975 is hereby revoked.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions

Beverley HughesParliamentary Under Secretary of State,Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions6th September 1999

SCHEDULE 1NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

Article 2

(1)	(2)	(3)
Name of ward	Area of the ward	Number of councillors
Ashtead Common		2
Ashtead Park		2
Ashtead Village		3
Beare Green	The Beare Green parish ward of the parish of Capel	1
Bookham North		3
Bookham South		3
Box Hill and Headley		1
Brockham, Betchworth and Buckland	The parishes of Betchworth, Brockham and Buckland	2
Capel, Leigh and Newdigate	The parishes of Leigh and Newdigate and the Capel parish ward of the parish of Capel	2
Charlwood	The parish of Charlwood	1
Dorking North		2
Dorking South		3
Fetcham East		2
Fetcham West		2
Holmwoods		3
Leatherhead North		3
Leatherhead South		2
Leith Hill	The parish of Wotton, the Northern parish ward of the parish of Abinger and the Coldharbour parish ward of the parish of Capel	1
Mickleham, Westhumble and Pixham		1
Okewood	The parish of Ockley and the Southern parish ward of the parish of Abinger	1
Westcott		1

SCHEDULE 2ORDER OF RETIREMENT OF COUNCILLORS

Article 3(4)

(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Name of ward	Number of councillors to retire in 2002	Number of councillors to retire in 2003	Number of councillors to retire in 2004
Ashtead Common	1	0	1
Ashtead Park	1	0	1
Ashtead Village	1	1	1
Beare Green	0	1	0
Bookham North	1	1	1
Bookham South	1	1	1
Box Hill and Headley	0	1	0
Brockham, Betchworth and Buckland	1	1	0
Capel, Leigh and Newdigate	1	1	0
Charlwood	0	1	0
Dorking North	1	0	1
Dorking South	1	1	1
Fetcham East	1	0	1
Fetcham West	1	0	1
Holmwoods	1	1	1
Leatherhead North	1	1	1
Leatherhead South	1	0	1
Leith Hill	0	1	0
Mickleham, Westhumble and Pixham	0	1	0
Okewood	0	1	0
Westcott	0	0	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 Mole Valley.

Article 2 abolishes the existing wards of the district and provides for the creation of 21 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 Mole Valley in 2000 and for the reversion to elections by thirds in subsequent years. Schedule 2 regulates the order of retirement of councillors.

Article 4 revokes the District of Mole Valley (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975.

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 the Mole Valley District Council and at the offices of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 2nd Floor, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DE.