Report of Head of Democracy and Governance

Council received a report of the Head of Democracy and Governance including Local Government Boundary Commission’s draft proposals on warding patterns for Watford, the Council’s earlier submission and details of the political groups’ proposals.

A draft composite motion was circulated to Members prior to the start of the meeting.  It replaced those put forward in appendices 3 (Proposal 1), 4 and 5 of the report attached to the agenda.  It read as follows –

“Draft composite motion to replace those put forward in Appendices 3 (Proposal 1), 4 and 5

1.      We have studied and looked at the proposals by the Local Government Boundary Commission into the changes of Watford Borough in detail.

2.      We acknowledge that the report has put forward some proposals to deal with the inequality in the Stanborough ward. There was a proposal, by the Local Government Boundary Commission to move some areas from the Meriden ward to the Stanborough ward.

3.      We disagree with the proposals put forward by the commission which stated;

         “We note that it is not possible to transfer electors to Stanborough from any other wards because of the very strong boundary of North Western Avenue. We are therefore including the Kytes Drive area of Meriden ward in our Stanborough ward. Although there was some objection to this, our tour of the area suggested that this area has good access to Stanborough ward and would improve electoral equality in Stanborough. Including this area in the Stanborough ward would worsen electoral equality in the Meriden ward to 7% fewer electors than the borough average by 2020, but improve it to 4% fewer in Stanborough.” (p.13 Watford Draft Recommendations.)

4.      In looking at the recommendation by the commission, we feel that this is not the right way of resolving any inequality within the Stanborough ward.

5.      In our view the Commission’s proposal of linking the Kytes Drive area to Stanborough ward is more problematic than other proposed alternatives. It leads to a very unusual configuration of Stanborough ward, in a figure of eight shape, linked only by the narrowest of corridors. There will be a strong sense of the Kytes Drive area being severed from the rest of Stanborough ward, virtually a separate enclave. This area has strong community links to Meriden ward, most notably through the shared boundary onto Garston Park.

         Given that it does not make sense based on community, geographical grounds nor having a logical boundary this proposal seems to be solely based on Electoral inequality. In this case the benefit (two wards being at a variance rather than one but the total variance remaining constant) seems to be outweighed by the costs.

6.      Accordingly, we would encourage the Commission to amend its proposal in such a way as to retain the Kytes Drive/Coates Way area in Meriden ward. This might be done by:

         - retaining the current boundary between Meriden and Stanborough wards, or

         - adjusting the boundary to include some or all properties on the eastern side of St Albans Road as per the attached map and table (as shown in Appendix 3 proposal 1 of council agenda) or

         - other boundary adjustment identified by the Commission or proposed to them.

         This proposal has the unanimous support of all three political groups represented on Watford Council.”

On being put to Council the composite motion was AGREED.

On being put to Council the Liberal Democrat’s Proposal 2, as shown in Appendix 3 to the report was AGREED.

RESOLVED –

1.      We have studied and looked at the proposals by the Local Government Boundary Commission into the changes of Watford Borough in detail.

2.      We acknowledge that the report has put forward some proposals to deal with the inequality in the Stanborough ward. There was a proposal, by the Local Government Boundary Commission to move some areas from the Meriden ward to the Stanborough ward.

3.      We disagree with the proposals put forward by the commission which stated;

         “We note that it is not possible to transfer electors to Stanborough from any other wards because of the very strong boundary of North Western Avenue. We are therefore including the Kytes Drive area of Meriden ward in our Stanborough ward. Although there was some objection to this, our tour of the area suggested that this area has good access to Stanborough ward and would improve electoral equality in Stanborough. Including this area in the Stanborough ward would worsen electoral equality in the Meriden ward to 7% fewer electors than the borough average by 2020, but improve it to 4% fewer in Stanborough.” (p.13 Watford Draft Recommendations.)

4.      In looking at the recommendation by the commission, we feel that this is not the right way of resolving any inequality within the Stanborough ward.

5.      In our view the Commission’s proposal of linking the Kytes Drive area to Stanborough ward is more problematic than other proposed alternatives. It leads to a very unusual configuration of Stanborough ward, in a figure of eight shape, linked only by the narrowest of corridors. There will be a strong sense of the Kytes Drive area being severed from the rest of Stanborough ward, virtually a separate enclave. This area has strong community links to Meriden ward, most notably through the shared boundary onto Garston Park.

         Given that it does not make sense based on community, geographical grounds nor having a logical boundary this proposal seems to be solely based on Electoral inequality. In this case the benefit (two wards being at a variance rather than one but the total variance remaining constant) seems to be outweighed by the costs.

6.      Accordingly, we would encourage the Commission to amend its proposal in such a way as to retain the Kytes Drive/Coates Way area in Meriden ward. This might be done by:

         - retaining the current boundary between Meriden and Stanborough wards, or

         - adjusting the boundary to include some or all properties on the eastern side of St Albans Road as per the attached map and table (as shown in Appendix 3 proposal 1 of council agenda) or

         - other boundary adjustment identified by the Commission or proposed to them.'

7.      Retain all of Greenbank Road in Nascot ward.  (proposal 2 in Appendix 3)