Agenda and minutes

To remind Members of the need to record the existence and nature of any personal, disclosable pecuniary or other registrable interests in items on the agenda, in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Councillors Adrian Abbs, Tony Vickers, Billy Drummond and Phil Barnett declared an interest in Agenda Item 3, but reported that, as their interest was a personal or another registrable interest, but not a disclosable pecuniary interest, they determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.

Purpose: to seek authority from Council, to make the necessary Order altering the electoral arrangements in the parish of Greenham, as provided for in section 86 of the 2007 Act.

(Councillors Abbs, T Vickers, Drummond and Barnett declared a personal interest in Agenda item 3 by virtue of the fact that they were Greenham Parish Councillors.  Councillor T Vickers was a Greenham Parish Councillor but his position would be abolished if this agenda item was approved.  As their interests were personal and not prejudicial they were permitted to take part in the debate and vote on the matter).

The Council considered a report (Agenda Item 3) concerning the request for approval of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England  consented Reorganisation Order for the governance arrangements for Greenham parish.

MOTION: Proposed by Councillor Marino and seconded by Councillor Vickers:

That the Council resolves to:

a) “Approve the draft West Berkshire District Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order 2022 (Appendix C), with specific reference to section 4 of the Order, as final, as consented to by the LGBCE in its letter to the Electoral Services manager, dated 24 November 2022 Appendix D;

For clarity, Section 4 of the Order states: 

“(1) The existing wards of the parish of Greenham shall be abolished.

(2)  The parish of Greenham shall again be divided into the two parish wards, which shall be named Common ward (polling districts GB1 + GB3) and Racecourse ward (polling district GB2), as listed in the first column of table 1 in Schedule 1 (Names of parish wards and number of Councillors).

(3)  Each parish ward shall comprise the area designated on the map by reference to the name of the parish ward (as indicated on the map legend) and demarcated by the respective colours (Common ward in blue and Racecourse ward in yellow). 

The polling district divisions, GB1, GB2 and GB3, (as indicated on the attached map) within the parish of Greenham shall remain unchanged.

(4)  The number of Councillors to be elected for each parish ward is the number specified in relation to that ward in the second column of the relevant table 1 in Schedule 1.  (Ten Councillors shall be elected for Common parish ward, and five Councillors shall be elected for Racecourse parish ward.)

(5)  The alterations are contained within the boundary of the parish of Greenham, and do not affect any other parishes within the district. 

(6)  The alteration to incorporate Sandleford ward ( polling district GB3), with only six (6) electors and five (5) parish Council seats (of which only one (1) is filled), into Common ward, with three thousand and twenty four (3024) electors and ten (10) parish Council seats, will ensure good governance across the whole of this area.

(7) The separation of the  polling district GB2, with one thousand four hundred and seventy two (1472) electors, into a stand-alone ward, known as Racecourse ward, with five (5) parish Council seats, will improve governance for this area, and allow for the contrasting needs of this unique residential cohort.”;

b) Delegate authority to Service Lead – Legal & Democratic Services to exercise all relevant powers under the 2007 Act in relation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.