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Agenda item

Council Size Proposal (Phase 1 of the Electoral Review of West Oxfordshire District)

Purpose:

To consider the submission of a Council Size Proposal to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as part of the electoral review of West Oxfordshire, and any associated change to the electoral cycle for the district council and town and parish councils within the West Oxfordshire district area.

 

Recommendation:

That Council resolves to:

  1. Approve the Draft Council Size Proposal (Annex A) for submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.
  2. Delegate authority to the Head of Democratic and Electoral Services, in consultation with the Chair of the Constitution Working Group, to make any minor amendments required to finalise the document to reflect the discussion at full Council, correct typographical errors or otherwise strengthen and improve the proposal document.
  3. Note that whole-Council elections will be held on new ward boundaries in May 2027 in any scenario.
  4. Agree in principle to move to whole-Council elections every four years from May 2027.
  5. Agree to convene a special meeting of full Council on 29 January 2025 at 4.00pm for the purpose of formally deciding whether to change the electoral cycle to whole-Council elections every four years from May 2027 (which will require a 2/3 majority at the specially convened meeting).
  6. Authorise the Chief Executive Officer to seek the views of town and parish councils on whether to harmonise ordinary elections of all town and parish councils within the district area with district council elections from May 2027, in the event that the District Council does decide to move to whole-Council elections from May 2027.

Minutes:

Councillor Alaric Smith, as Chair of the Constitution Working Group, introduced the report that considered the submission of a Council Size Proposal to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as part of the electoral review of West Oxfordshire, and any associated change to the electoral cycle for the District Council and Town and Parish Councils within the West Oxfordshire district area.

 

The Chair of the Constitution Working Group explained the following points;

  • There hadn’t been an electoral review of the district since 2001.

·         A review was now taking place and the outcomes would take effect from the local elections in 2027.

·         The aim was to address electoral inequalities whereby some wards contain too many or too few electors per councillor, as a result of new developments and population movements over time.

·         Phase 1 of the review was to consider the appropriate number of Councillors on the District Council.

·         The Draft Council Size Proposal at Annex A had been overseen by the cross-party Constitution Working Group and sought an unchanged size of 49 Councillors.

·         Having considered the issues and the results of the Member survey, the Working Group believed that 49 was the right number of Councillors for West Oxfordshire to ensure that the governance arrangements of the Council could continue to function and that communities across the District could be represented effectively. The size of 49 was supported by the vast majority of Members who completed the survey (and thanks was given to those of you who did so).

·         The size of the Council would ultimately be a decision for the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The Council didn’t have to submit a Council Size Proposal but the Working Group believed that it was in the Council’s interests to do so to inform the Commission’s decision.

·         The Council also needed to consider whether it was wished to retain a mix of 1, 2 and 3 Member wards. If so, the Council would need to hold whole-Council elections every 4 years from 2027.

·         Any decision to change the electoral cycle could only be taken at a specially convened full Council meeting with a 2/3 majority in favour. This was the Working Group’s recommended option.

·         If it were to be decided to move to whole-Council elections then the Council would have the power to harmonise town and parish council elections with its own electoral cycle, should it wish to do so.

·         The alternative was to retain elections by thirds. This would require the Council to have a uniform pattern of 3-Member wards across the whole district. This would result in some extremely large 3-Member wards which would be challenging to represent effectively. The size of the Council would also need to be divisible by 3 (i.e. 48 or 51 Members but not 49).

·         Phase 2 of the review would involve consultation on ward boundaries once the Council size had been determined, and this phase would follow the County Council elections in May 2025.

  • The Working Group’s conclusions were reflected in the recommendations which were to;
    • Approve the Draft Council Size Proposal at Annex A with a delegation for minor amendments and improvements.
    • Note that in any event there will be whole-Council elections on new boundaries in 2027, meaning the members elected in 2026 will serve a 1 year term.
    • Agree in principle to move to whole-Council elections and agree to hold a special meeting of full Council on 29 January (after the ordinary full Council meeting) to take a formal decision to change the electoral cycle.
    • Authorise the Chief Executive to consult with town and parish councils on the option of harmonising their electoral cycles with our own electoral cycle if we move to whole-Council elections every four years from 2027.

Councillors made the following comments:

·         It was a nuanced decision. A four-year term would give administrations time to take medium term decisions and help to mitigate against short-term decision making. It also provided for stability for 3 years but then then instability of whole-Council elections. Therefore it was felt that all out elections were probably preferable in terms of what it delivers for residents.

·         Neither option was ideal and there were concerns about continuity of governance.

·         There were concerns about grouping 1 and 2-Member wards together resulting in huge rural areas covering lots of parish councils. As such the option of thirds would be practically very difficult.

·         Going forwards the benefits of 1, 2 and 3-Member wards was worth retaining, based on real evidence and experience of what works. There were pros and cons for all options; however costs would be lower with whole-Council elections. It was important to consult town and parish councils on their electoral cycles.

·         Proportional Representation was not available to local authorities at present.

·         If the Council decided not to move to whole-Council elections it would need to revisit Council Size Proposal.

·         The Chair reminded Members that a 2/3 majority was required at the convened special meeting of full Council on 29 January 2025 to change the electoral cycle.

 

It was suggested and agreed by the proposer and seconder that the extraordinary meeting on 29 January 2025 be held on the rising of the ordinary meeting of full Council, rather than 4.00pm as proposed in the report.

Councillor Alaric Smith proposed that Council approve the recommendations.

This was seconded by Councillor Andy Graham was put to a vote, and it was unanimous.

Council resolved to:

  1. Approve the Draft Council Size Proposal (Annex A) for submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.
  2. Delegate authority to the Head of Democratic and Electoral Services, in

consultation with the Chair of the Constitution.

  1. Working Group, to make any minor amendments required to finalise the document to reflect the discussion at full Council, correct typographical errors or otherwise strengthen and improve the proposal document.
  2.  Note that whole-Council elections will be held on new ward boundaries in May 2027 in any scenario.
  3. Agree in principle to move to whole-Council elections every four years from May 2027.
  4. Agree to convene a special meeting of full Council on 29 January 2025 for the purpose of formally deciding whether to change the electoral cycle to whole-Council elections every four years from May 2027 (which will require a 2/3 majority at the specially convened meeting).
  5. Authorise the Chief Executive Officer to seek the views of town and parish councils on whether to harmonise ordinary elections of all town and parish councils within the district area with district council elections from May 2027, in the event that the District Council does decide to move to whole-Council elections from May 2027.

Supporting documents:

 

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