2004 No. 3250
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND

The County of Dorset (Electoral Changes) Order 2004

Made
Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2) and 1(3)
Whereas the Boundary Committee for England1, acting pursuant to section 15(4) of the Local Government Act 19922, has submitted to the Electoral Commission3 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 174 and 265 of the Local Government Act 1992, and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Order:

Citation and commencement1.

(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.

Interpretation2.

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 county6;

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 Dorset3.

(1)

The existing electoral divisions of the county7 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 Symondsbury4.

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.

Maps5.

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 registers6.

The Electoral Registration Officer8 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.

Revocation7.

The County of Dorset (Electoral Arrangements) Order 19839 is revoked, save for article 5.

Sealed with the seal of the Electoral Commission on the 9th day of December 2004

Sam Younger
Chairman of the Commission
Jacqui Dixon
Secretary to the Commission

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

article 3

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

SCHEDULE 2WARDS OF THE PARISH OF SYMONDSBURY

article 4

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

(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.