Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the District of Richmondshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2000.

(2) This Order shall come into force—

(a)for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 1st May 2003, on 10th October 2002;

(b)for all other purposes, on 1st May 2003.

(3) In this Order—

“district” means the district of Richmondshire;

“existing”, in relation to a ward, means the ward as it exists on the date this Order is made; and

any reference to the map is a reference to the map prepared by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions marked “Map of the District of Richmondshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2000”, and deposited in accordance with regulation 27 of the Local Government Changes for England Regulations 1994(3).

Wards of the district of Richmondshire

2.—(1) The existing wards of the district(4) shall be abolished.

(2) The district shall be divided into twenty-four wards which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 1.

(3) The wards shall comprise the areas described in column (2) of that Schedule by reference to parishes or, where no area is so described, the area designated on the map by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by red lines; and the number of councillors to be elected for each ward shall be the number specified in respect of the ward 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 Hunton

3.  The parish of Hunton 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 district ward 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.

Wards of the parish of Richmond

4.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Richmond shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into three parish wards which shall bear the names Central, East and West; each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name; and the number of councillors to be elected for each parish ward shall be four.

Revocation

5.  The District of Richmondshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977 is hereby revoked.

Article 2

SCHEDULE 1NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

Article 3

SCHEDULE 2WARDS OF THE PARISH OF HUNTONNAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order gives effect to recommendations by the Local Government Commission for England for electoral changes in the district of Richmondshire. The changes have effect in relation to local government elections to be held on and after 1st May 2003.

Article 2 abolishes the existing wards of the district of Richmondshire and provides for the creation of twenty-four new wards. That article and Schedule 1 also make provision for the names and areas of, and numbers of councillors for, the new wards.

Articles 3 and 4 make electoral changes in the parishes of Hunton and Richmond.

Article 5 revokes the District of Richmondshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977.

The areas of the new district wards are demarcated on the map described in article 1(3). Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of the Richmondshire District Council and at the offices of the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, 2nd Floor, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DE.