Issue - meetings

(NOTE, at 10.15 a.m., and in accordance with the provisions of CPR 2(3) the Chair brought consideration of this item forward on the agenda to immediately following the adoption of the minutes of the previous meeting)

The Chair welcomed to the meeting Julie May (Lead Commissioner), Steve Halsall (Chief Executive), Matt Redmond (Deputy Chief Executive) and Farhan Khan (Review Officer) of the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales who had been invited to make a presentation to the Council on the method by which the Commission would conduct the Carmarthenshire Electoral Review and to how representations could be made thereon.

The Council was advised of the Commissions’ independent role in the review process under the provisions of the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 the aim of which was to propose the pattern of electoral wards for the entire council area, not just where there levels of electoral inequality. As part of the review the Commission would propose:-

·        The Total Number of Councillors;

·        The number and boundaries of electoral wards;

·        The number of councillors for each ward and;

·        The names of electoral wards.

·        Carmarthenshire having 75 councillors with a ratio of one councillor per 1,915 electors

The Council was advised that the time period for the review would be undertaken in five distinct stages comprising:-

·        Stage 1 – 12 week initial consultation period from the 5^th October - 27^th December 2017;

·        Stage 2 – The Commission will develop and publish its draft proposals with a 12 week consultation period thereon to be undertaken in the summer of 2018;

·        Stage 3 – The Commission will formulate its final proposals Report for submission to the Welsh Government by Spring 2019;

·        Stage 4 – The Welsh Government will consider the proposals and after a 6 week period it may make an order (an opportunity to write to Welsh Government)

·        Stage 5 – The new wards would come into force in time for the 2022 local government elections.

The Council was advised that if any person/organisation wished to make representations on the proposals, they would need to be evidenced based and judged on the quality of the evidence submitted. Effective representations would also need to take account of statutory requirements, Commission policies, suggest an alternative as well as setting out an objection and consider any potential consequences of the alternative across the widest possible area.

The presentation was followed by a question and answer session.

The Chair thanked the Boundary Commission representatives for attending the meeting to apprise elected members of the review process.