Agenda and draft minutes

The Panel is requested to propose, second and elect a Chair for the meeting.

Cllr Brown proposed Cllr O’Kelly to Chair.

Cllr Weller seconded Cllr Brown’s proposal.

Cllr O’Kelly was elected to chair the Boundary Review Panel.

The Chair will announce any late items for urgent consideration under the Late Items agenda item.

Any apologies for absence that have been received will be noted at this point.

Apologies were received from Cllr Briscoe and Cllr T Johnson.

The minutes relate to the meeting of the Boundary Review Panel on 15 November 2022.

The minutes from the meeting 15 November 2022 were approved as a correct record.

Members are to make any declarations of disclosable pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interests which they might have in respect of matters on the agenda for this meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

A short verbal introduction to the role of the Panel will be presented by Mr Mildred.

Mr Mildred introduced the role of the Boundary Review Panel. He explained that the Panel is an ad hoc meeting to consider and advise the Council on matters relating to electoral areas and items usually arise upon request from parish councils, with the last major electoral review for Chichester District Council being implemented in 2019. In this review, a thirty-six-councillor administration replaced a forty-eight-councillor administration. The panel had recently considered and made representation to the  Government’s  parliamentary boundary review which will be implemented at the next Parliamentary Election.

Cllr Brown commented that thirty-six councillors is probably not enough for the size of the Chichester district. Mr Mildred committed to establish the legal requirements in terms of minimum time between requests for electoral reviews and will circulate to the Panel.

The Panel is requested to consider the report and appendix and make the following recommendation:

1.1.       the Returning Officer’s schedule, as set out in Appendix 1 be consulted on with District Councillors, Parish Councils and any other interested parties.

1.2.       A further report be tabled to the Boundary Review Panel at its next meeting to assess any representations received.

1.3.       the review be concluded by October 2024; and

1.4.       a report on the representations received, with recommendations, be made to the Council Meeting in November 2024.

Mrs Ward introduced the report. She explained that the boundary review is legally required to take place every five years but that it is carried out annually. The consultation is to take place before the end of January 2025 and feedback generated will be passed back to the Boundary Review Panel before going on to Full Council in November 2024. She confirmed that the vote decided by the Panel in the present meeting is to pass the resolution to send out the consultation.

In a vote, the following resolutions were agreed:

RESOLVED

1.       That the Returning Officer’s schedule, as set out in Appendix 1 be consulted on with District Councillors, Parish Councils and any other interested parties.

2.       A further report be tabled to the Boundary Review Panel at its next meeting to assess any representations received.

3.       The review be concluded by October 2024; and

4.       A report on the representations received, with recommendations, be made to the Council Meeting in November 2024.

The Boundary Review Panel will consider any late urgent items announced by the Chair under Agenda Item 1.

There were no Late Items.