This review will consider whether a new parish and council should be created covering the areas of Stafford Town.
Implications of creating a new town council
If a new town council is created, electoral arrangements would need to be considered for the new council. The town council would be elected by, and accountable to, its own separate electorate. It would also be responsible for appointing its own town clerk, raising its own precepts and paying for its own electoral expenses.
Electoral Arrangements
Electoral Arrangements is a term that covers the way in which a council is constituted for a parish. It covers:
- whether the parish should have a council;
- the number of councillors to be elected to the council;
- the division (or not) of the parish into wards for the purpose of electing councillors;
- the number and boundaries of any such wards;
- the number of councillors to be elected for any such ward;
- the name of any such ward
Parish Boundaries
It is desirable that parish boundaries are readily identifiable by permanent features e.g. coastlines, watercourses, major roads, or railway lines.
There is a need to consider “Coterminosity” in cases where existing parish council boundaries coincide with Stafford Borough Council ward boundaries. The Council should have regard to Schedule 2 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, which applies when borough council ward boundaries are being considered by the Boundary Commission. When considering borough ward boundaries, the provision requires every parish ward to lie wholly within a single borough council ward. A proposal to relocate a parish council boundary may require the creation of a separate parish council ward or, where appropriate, a request to the Boundary Commission to review the coterminous Stafford Borough Council ward boundary.
Council Size
Council size is the term used to describe the number of councillors to be elected to the whole parish council. The Local Government Act 1972 specifies that each parish council must have at least five councillors; there is no maximum number. There are no rules relating to the allocation of those councillors between parish wards but each parish ward must have at least one parish councillor.
The council size range set out by the “National Association of Local Councils” suggested that the minimum number of councillors for any parish should be 7. For a council of more than 23,000 the suggested number of councillors is 25.
We are not obliged to follow this guidance. In considering the issue of council size each area should be considered on its own merits, having regard to its population, geography and the pattern of communities.
You can see the number of councillors, compared with the size of their electorate, for each of the parishes (pdf 89kb) in Stafford Borough.
Parish warding
Parish warding is the division of a parish into wards for the purpose of electing councillors. Consideration should be given to the number and boundaries of any wards, the number of councillors to be elected for any ward and the names of wards.
In considering whether or not a parish should be divided into wards, the legislation requires that consideration be given to whether:
- the number, or distribution of the local government electors for the parish would make a single election of councillors impracticable or inconvenient
- it is desirable that any area or areas of the parish should be separately represented
There is a need to consider not only the size of the electorate in the area but also the distribution of communities within it.
When contemplating parish ward boundaries there is a need to ensure that consideration is given as to the desirability of fixing of boundaries which are, and will remain, easily identifiable, as well as taking into account any local ties which might be broken by the fixing of any particular boundaries.
Names of parish wards
In considering the names of parish wards, thought should be given to existing local or historic places so that, where appropriate, these are reflected.
The number of councillors to be elected for parish wards
If it is proposed that a parish should be warded, consideration should be given to the levels of representation between each ward, meaning the number of councillors to be elected for each ward and the number of electors they represent.
It is not in the interests of effective and convenient local government, either for voters or councillors, to have significant differences in levels of representation between different parish wards.
Parish names and alternative styles for parishes
The ‘name’ of a parish refers to the geographical name of the area concerned.
So far as existing parishes under review are concerned, the review must make recommendations as to whether the geographical name of the parish should be changed.
Ordinary year of election
Ordinary parish elections are held once every four years with all councillors being elected at the same time. The standard parish electoral cycle is for elections in 2027 and every four years thereafter.
New or revised parish electoral arrangements come into force at ordinary parish elections, rather than at parish by-elections, so they usually have to wait until the next scheduled parish elections.