Citation and commencement

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the County of Durham (Electoral Changes) Order 2005.

(2) This Order, with the exception of articles 4, 5, 6 and 7, shall come into force –

(a)for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2005, on the day after that on which it is made;

(b)for all other purposes, on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2005.

(3) Articles 4, 5, 6 and 7 shall come into force –

(a)for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to the election of a parish councillor for the parishes of Cassop-cum-Quarrington, Great Aycliffe, Seaham and Spennymoor to be held on the ordinary day of elections in 2007, on 15th October 2006;

(b)for all other purposes, on the ordinary day of elections in 2007.

Interpretation

2.  In this Order –

“county” means the county of Durham;

“existing”, in relation to an electoral division or ward, means the electoral division or ward as it exists on the date this Order is made;

references to wards, unless the context otherwise requires, are references to district, borough and city wards in the county(5);

any reference to the map is a reference to the map marked “Map referred to in the County of Durham (Electoral Changes) Order 2005”, of which prints are available for inspection at –

any reference to a numbered sheet is a reference to the sheet of the map which bears that number.

Divisions of the county of Durham

3.—(1) The existing electoral divisions of the county(6) shall be abolished.

(2) The county shall be divided into sixty-three electoral divisions which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of Schedule 1.

(3) The electoral divisions shall comprise the areas described in column (2) of that Schedule by reference to wards, parishes, or parish wards or, where an area is not so described, the area designated on the map by reference to the name of the electoral division and demarcated by red lines; and the number of councillors to be elected for each electoral division shall be one.

(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 Cassop-cum-Quarrington

4.  The parish of Cassop-cum-Quarrington 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 division 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 Great Aycliffe

5.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Great Aycliffe shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into eight parish wards which shall bear the names Aycliffe Village, Byerley Park, Horndale and Cobblers Hall, Neville, Shafto St Marys, Simpasture, West, Woodham North and Woodham South; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 5 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each of the Byerley Park, Horndale and Cobblers Hall, West and Woodham North parish wards shall be six, for each of the Neville, Shafto St Marys and Woodham South parish wards shall be three, for the Simpasture parish ward shall be two, and for the Aycliffe Village parish ward shall be one.

Wards of the parish of Seaham

6.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Seaham shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into six parish wards which shall bear the names Dawdon, Deneside, Seaham Harbour North, Seaham Harbour South, Seaham North and Westlea; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 2 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each of the Dawdon and Deneside parish wards shall be five, for the Seaham Harbour North parish ward shall be four, for the Seaham North parish ward shall be three, and for each of the Seaham Harbour South and Westlea parish wards shall be two.

Wards of the parish of Spennymoor

7.—(1) The existing wards of the parish of Spennymoor shall be abolished.

(2) The parish shall be divided into six parish wards which shall bear the names Byers Green, Low Spennymoor and Tudhoe Grange, Merrington, Middlestone, Spennymoor and Tudhoe; and the wards shall comprise the areas designated on sheet 4 by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by orange lines.

(3) The number of councillors to be elected for each of the Low Spennymoor and Tudhoe Grange, and Spennymoor parish wards shall be six, for each of the Middlestone and Tudhoe parish wards shall be four, and for each of the Byers Green and Merrington parish wards shall be one.

Maps

8.  Durham County Council shall make a print of the map marked “Map referred to in the County of Durham (Electoral Changes) Order 2005” available for inspection at its offices by any member of the public at any reasonable time.

Electoral registers

9.  The Electoral Registration Officer(7) for each district, borough or city in the county shall make such rearrangement of, or adaptation of, the register of local government electors as may be necessary for the purposes of, and in consequence of, this Order.

Revocation

10.  The County of Durham (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1981(8) is revoked, save for article 5.

article 3

SCHEDULE 1NAMES AND AREAS OF ELECTORAL DIVISIONS

article 4

SCHEDULE 2WARDS OF THE PARISH OF CASSOP-CUM-QUARRINGTON

NAMES AND AREAS OF WARDS AND NUMBERS OF COUNCILLORS

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order gives effect, with modifications, to recommendations by the Local Government Commission for England for electoral changes in the county of Durham. The recommendations were submitted to the Secretary of State, but the functions of the Secretary of State under sections 13 to 15 and 17 of the Local Government Act 1992 so far as they relate to electoral changes were transferred with modifications to the Electoral Commission under the Local Government Commission for England (Transfer of Functions) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3962), with effect from 1st April 2002. That Order provides that recommendations submitted to the Secretary of State before 1st April 2002 would have effect as if they had been submitted to the Electoral Commission.

The modifications concern the boundaries between Craghead and South Moor, and Stanley electoral divisions, Dawdon and Seaham electoral divisions and Seaham Harbour North and Seaham Harbour South parish wards of the parish of Seaham.

The changes have effect in relation to local government elections to be held on and after the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2005.

Article 3 abolishes the existing electoral divisions of the county and provides for the creation of 63 new electoral divisions. That article and Schedule 1 also make provision for the names and areas of, and numbers of councillors for, the new electoral divisions. The number of councillors for each electoral division shall be one.

Articles 4 to 7 make electoral changes in the parishes of Cassop-cum-Quarrington, Great Aycliffe, Seaham and Spennymoor.

Article 9 obliges the Electoral Registration Officer for each district, borough or city in the county of Durham to make any necessary amendments to the electoral register to reflect the new electoral arrangements.

Article 10 revokes the County of Durham (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1981, with the exception of article 5.

The areas of the new electoral divisions and of the new parish wards of the parishes of Great Aycliffe, Seaham and Spennymoor are demarcated on the map described in article 2. Prints of the map may be inspected at all reasonable times at the offices of Durham County Council and at the principal office of the Electoral Commission at Trevelyan House, Great Peter Street, London SW1P 2HW.