Appendix A

Final Recommendations

New Community Governance Arrangements for Brickhill and Ravensden Parishes (including the Woodlands Park development)

January 2014

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For information on obtaining this publication in another language or in a large-print or Braille version, please contact Bedford Borough Council: Tel: (01234) 276983 Email: communitygovernance@bedford.gov.uk © Bedford Borough Council 2014

The mapping in this report is reproduced from OS mapping by Bedford Borough Council with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown Copyright and database rights 2014 Ordnance Survey 100049028. You are not permitted to copy, sub-license, distribute or sell any of this data to third parties in any form.

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Contents

Summary 5

1 Introduction 10

2 Undertaking the review 13

3 Analysis and final recommendations 15

Submissions received 16 Electorate figures 16 Parish Council size and Electoral Fairness 18 Electoral arrangements 19 General analysis 21 Conclusions 26

4 What happens next? 27

5 Mapping 28

Appendices

A.1 Code of Practice on written consultation 29

A.2 Final recommendations for Brickhill and Ravensden Parishes 30

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A.3

Map of the final recommendations concerning areas of new and altered Parishes 32

A.4 Additional legislation we have considered 34

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Summary Bedford Borough Council is the principal Council for the Borough of Bedford and is designated in law as the body to review community governance arrangements in its area. Community governance reviews provide the opportunity for designated principal councils to review and make changes to community governance within their areas. Such reviews are often undertaken, although not exclusively, in circumstances such as where there have been changes in population, or in reaction to specific or local new issues. A community governance review offers an opportunity to put in place strong, clearly defined boundaries, tied to firm ground features, and remove any anomalous parish boundaries that exist. Parish boundaries may be used to provide the building blocks for Borough Council Ward boundaries in future electoral reviews. The community governance review for Brickhill and Ravensden Parishes was conducted as follows: Stage Stage Timetable Description

One 23 February 2013

Publication of the Terms of Reference and formal start of the review

Two (Initial)23 February – 22 May 2013

Initial period of consultation – general invitation of submissions with particular request for views on the future of the community governance arrangements for Woodlands Park

Three (Initial)

23 May – 22 July 2013 Consideration of submissions received during initial Stage Two consultation. On 18 June 2013 the General Purposes Committee determined to reopen the Stage Two consultation in view of the outcome of consultation in the initial Stage Two period..

Two (Extended)

23 July – 22 September 2013 Further period of consultation during Stage Two – general invitation of submissions with particular request for views on the future of the community governance arrangements for Woodlands Park

Three (Extended)

23 September – 10 November 2013

Consideration of submissions received during Stage Two (Extended). Draft recommendations determined by the General Purposes Committee on 5 November 2013

Four

11 November 2013 – 6 January 2014 Draft recommendations are published. Consultation on draft recommendations

determined in Stage Three.

Five

7-10 January 2014 Consideration of submissions received during stage Four. Final recommendations

determined by the Borough Council’s General Purposes Committee on 21 January 2014, published and submitted to the Council meeting on 5 February 2014

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Undertaking the review The publication of the Terms of Reference for this review on 23 February 2013 marked the start of the review. The Terms of Reference are available at www.bedford.gov.uk/brickhill_ravensden . To coincide with the start of the review, public notice was given in the Bedfordshire on Sunday newspaper on 24 February 2013. A dedicated web page was created on the Borough Council’s website, articles included in Brickhill Parish Council’s newsletter, the Woodlands Park News and a news-sheet produced by Ravensden Parish Council. These publications were circulated in the review area. These publications included a reply postcard with a freepost address. Public meetings were held at St Marks Community Centre, Ravensden Village Hall and Anjulita Court in order to promote the review. The original Stage Two consultation produced a finely balanced outcome of views from residents in Woodlands Park and the overall response rate for the Stage Two process was below the 5% threshold identified in the Terms of Reference. This was considered by the Borough Council’s General Purposes Committee on 18 June 2013 and it decided to extend the Stage Two Consultation. The intention of providing an extended Stage Two consultation was to provide more time for the 5% threshold to be achieved if residents were inclined to submit comments and also to specifically provide more time for a greater number of Woodlands Park residents to respond. Following the decision for an extended period of the Stage Two Consultation a further advertisement was placed in Brickhill Parish Newsletter and postcards were produced and circulated to facilitate responses. The advertisement and the postcards referred to the Council’s web page for this review and this in turn provided for online responses to be submitted. Having considered the responses to the extended Stage Two consultation, the Borough Council adopted draft recommendations in Stage Three of the review and these were circulated (in Stage Four of the review) by hand to electors in the review area together with a response card for them to indicate whether they supported the draft recommendations. The final recommendations were adopted by the Borough Council’s General Purposes Committee on 21 January 2014. A public notice will be published to bring the final recommendations to the attention of the electors and stakeholders in the review area.. They will then be considered by Full Council on 5 February 2014. Submissions received

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Having considered the submissions received during the combined Stage Two consultation periods, draft recommendations were developed to provide for Ravensden Parish being altered to exclude the area of the Woodlands Park development. Maintaining the status quo position of Woodlands Park as part of Ravensden Parish did not receive strong support from across the review area. Likewise, de-parishing the Woodlands Park area did not receive any strong support across the review area. The responses across the review area did not support the creation of a separate Parish for Woodlands Park although support for this option was highest within the Woodlands Park area. The draft recommendations published on 11 November 2013 were that the area of Brickhill Parish be altered to

During the initial element of Stage Two of this review, the Borough Council received 410 submissions. During the extended element of Stage Two of the review there were a further 590 submissions. During Stage Four of this review there were 685 submissions. Details of all of the submissions in the various stages are available at the Council’s website at www.bedford.gov.uk/brickhill_ravensden

Analysis and final recommendations Electorate figures Bedford Borough Council published electorate forecasts for the review area for February 2018, a period five years on from the February 2013 electoral roll which is the basis for this review. These forecasts projected an increase in the electorate of less than 1% over this period. This indicates a particularly steady overall electorate position over the five years and this is helpful in considering future community governance arrangements. The electorate forecasts are set out in paragraph 37 below. Existing Parish arrangements At the commencement of the review, the area was within two separate Parishes; Brickhill and Ravensden. Both Parishes had Parish Councils. Ravensden Parish Council had seven Parish Councillors and Brickhill had 13 Parish Councillors. Brickhill Parish had three Parish Wards and Ravensden was not divided into Parish Wards. Brickhill’s Parish Wards were Brickhill East (represented by four Parish Councillors), Brickhill North (represented by four Parish Councillors) and Brickhill South and West (represented by five Parish Councillors). The Woodlands Park development was within the Ravensden Parish although it is only accessed by road from Brickhill Parish (albeit that this actually goes through Clapham Parish). Woodland Park has an urban character similar to Brickhill and the development is to the immediate north of Brickhill Parish. General analysis

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include the Woodlands Park development. In this recommendation the Woodlands Park area would become a Parish Ward of Brickhill in its own right. The draft recommendations proposed that the altered Parish of Ravensden remains without Parish Wards, that it should have a Parish Council and that it should continue with seven Parish Councillors. For Brickhill Parish the draft recommendations were also that it should continue with a Parish Council and that the overall size of the Parish Council should increase to 15 Parish Councillors. The Parish would have Parish Wards based on the existing three Parish Wards and a new Parish Ward for Woodlands Park. This new Parish Ward would have two Parish Councillors representing it on the Parish Council. These draft recommendations formed the basis of consultation in Stage Four of the review. Having considered the views expressed in Stage Four of the review, the final recommendations reflect the aforementioned draft recommendations adopted during Stage Three of this review. Three minor further adjustments to the boundary of Brickhill Parish at Troon Close, Lombardy Close and Rowallan Drive have been included as final recommendations which had previously not been part of the draft recommendations. What happens next? The Borough Council has completed its review of community governance in Brickhill and Ravensden Parishes. The final recommendations proposed will be submitted to the Borough Council’s meeting on 5 February 2014. If approved, an Order will be made administratively by the Council in order to establish the new community governance arrangements as from 1 April 2015. The Council is grateful to all those individuals and the organisations who have contributed to the review through expressing their views and advice. It is particularly grateful to Brickhill Parish Council, Ravensden Parish Council and the Woodlands Park Residents Association for their specific assistance to the Borough Council in delivering elements of the review. Head of Registration and Records

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Bedford Borough Council Borough Hall Cauldwell Street Bedford MK42 9AP Email: communitygovernance@bedford.gov.uk The full report is available to download at www.bedford.gov.uk.

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1 Introduction 1. The Borough Council’s General Purposes Committee formally decided to commence this review of community governance for

Brickhill and Ravensden Parishes on 22 January 2013. The approved Terms of Reference for the review were then published on 23 February 2013 and this marked the start of the review. The initial period of the review concerned itself with publicising the review and inviting comments generally. In view of the consequences for the review, consultation specifically sought submissions on the future community governance arrangements for the Woodlands Park development (in the Parish of Ravensden at the commencement of this review).

2. In this report there is reference to polling districts. A polling district is a geographical sub-division of an electoral area, such as a

Parish, Borough Ward and/or parliamentary constituency. Details of the current Polling Districts in the Borough of Bedford (including this review area) are available on the Council’s website at: http://www.bedford.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/elections/2011_polling_districtplaces.aspx Details of the specific Polling Districts in the review area are set out in paragraphs 15 and 16 below.

What is a Community Governance Review? 3. A Community Governance Review is a review under and in accordance with Part 4, Chapter 3 of the Local Government and

Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. The 2007 Act gives the responsibility for undertaking community governance reviews to designated principal councils for the area. In the case of the Borough of Bedford this is the Bedford Borough Council.

4. Community governance is the arrangements and organisations that provide for community representation or community

engagement in the review area. This can be parish meetings and parish councils but, likewise, could be other arrangements and organisations.

5. It is a duty of the Borough Council in undertaking a community governance review to seek to secure that community governance

within the review area reflects the identities and interests of the community in that area and is effective and convenient. 6. The Government and the Local Government Boundary Commission for England published guidance on community governance

reviews in March 2010 and due regard has been given to that guidance in undertaking this community governance review. 7. The Borough Council must take such steps as it considers sufficient to inform local government electors and other parties with an

interest in the review about the review. It must then consult those electors and other parties and take account of any representations received in connection with the review.

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Why are we conducting a review in Brickhill and Ravensden? 8. The allocation of land north of Brickhill Parish for development was included in the Borough of Bedford’s Local Plan in 2002.

This allocation had not originally been included in the draft Local Plan published in February 1997; but was a recommendation of the Planning Inspector following the Public Inquiry held between 19 February 1999 and 28 January 2000. The proposal for the allocation of land for development had been made by Bedfordia Developments Ltd.

9. The planning application for the development of Woodlands on the land referred to above was then submitted by Bedfordia

developments Ltd. The application was not determined by the Borough Council and on appeal, involving an inquiry held in November 2002, it was granted permitting the development of up to 500 residential units and a Country Park. The first completions on the site took place in the year 2006/7.

10. At the commencement of this review, there were a total of 522 properties identified in the electoral register within the NP Polling

District that relates to the Woodlands Park development. The extent of the development since 2006/7, with the characteristics set out elsewhere in this report is a sufficient reason for a community governance review by the Borough Council. The Brickhill and Ravensden Parish Councils have argued for a review for several years prior to the Borough Council commencing the review.

11. The review area did not extend beyond the current boundaries of the two Parishes of Brickhill and Ravensden. As such, the

review could not address the issue of whether certain premises in Clapham Parish should form part of Brickhill Parish. The St Thomas More RC Upper School is within Clapham Parish but is accessed from Tyne Crescent in Brickhill Parish. It was also noted by the Council that the main vehicular access to the Woodlands Park development goes through the Clapham Parish.

12. The Terms of Reference also drew attention to potentially anomalous considerations in respect of certain properties along the

Parish Boundary with the unparished area within Putnoe Borough Ward. These issues were not addressed by any representations in the Stage Two consultation but were the subject of two representations in the Stage Four consultation.

How will the final recommendations affect you? 13. The final recommendations reference possible future structures for local representation and engagement in what is currently the

two Parishes of Brickhill and Ravensden. They include what parish you may live in and what its name is. The recommendations

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also include the numbers of councillors that will represent you on the council for the parish. The work of a Parish Council falls on the parish councillors and the parish council officials. If the recommendations are wrong it will affect how effectively the new/amended parish councils will function.

Who at the Borough Council makes these decisions? 14. The Borough Council’s General Purposes Committee usually authorises a Community Governance Review and the Terms of

Reference for those reviews. Any final recommendations from a Community Governance Review will be submitted by the General Purposes Committee to the full Council. It will be the full Council of all 40 Borough Councillors and the Mayor who will make the decision whether to adopt the final recommendations. Any order that needs to be made to bring the adopted decision of the Full Council into effect will be made administratively by the officers of the Council.

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2 Undertaking the review 15. The Terms of Reference for the Review were published on 23 February 2013 (after being approved by the Borough

Council’s General Purposes Committee on 22 January 2013). This marked the formal start of the review. The review must be concluded within 12 months of the publication of the Terms of Reference.

16. At the point of commencing the review there were the following electors in the seven Polling Districts shown within the

review area of the Parishes of Brickhill and Ravensden:

Polling District

Total Electors (February 2013)

16 + 17 Year Old included in

the Total

Over 70 Year Olds included in

the Total Non-

Commonwealth or Irish –

European Union Electors

Numbers of Properties (February

2013)

Brickhill Parish BB 2211 52 271 89 1129 BA 2012 43 533 85 1078 BC 1591 28 301 68 933 BD 871 26 105 71 460

Ravensden Parish NP 1049 31 83 56 522 NQ 399 8 93 6 213 NR 195 3 30 0 101

17. Polling District NP is the area in which the Woodlands Park development is situated. From the above figures for 16 and

17 year olds, over 70s and European Union nationals (other than Commonwealth and Irish nationals), the electors in the NP Polling District could be said to have a different composition than the two other Polling Districts within Ravensden Parish. It could be said that the demographic data for the Woodlands Park Polling District is closer to those of Brickhill Parish’s Polling Districts.

Informing and Consulting local government electors and others 18. At the time of publishing the terms of reference for the review a copy was made available on a dedicated page on the

Council’s website and also at the Borough Council’s Customer Service Centre on Horne Lane, Bedford. Through this page, views could be expressed using an online survey. It also gave telephone, email and postal addresses for questions to be raised about the review or to express views.

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19. Public Notice of the commencement of the Community Governance Review was included in the Bedfordshire on Sunday

Newspaper on 24 February 2013. This was intended to give due notice to all those who could have an interest in the review. This was followed by an article being published in the in Brickhill Parish Council’s newsletter, the Woodlands Park News and a news-sheet produced by Ravensden Parish Council. These publications were circulated in the review area. These publications included a reply postcard with a freepost address. Public meetings were held at St Marks Community Centre, Ravensden Village Hall and Anjulita Court in order to promote the review.

20. Brickhill Parish Council included reference to the review on its website in the same way as the Woodlands Park

Residents Association included reference on its website. 21. In the week commencing 4 March 2013 posters were displayed on the noticeboards of the Parish Councils. These

advertised the review and an appropriate public meeting. 22. The public meetings were held on the following days and the number of attendees at each is shown below:

Venue for Public Meeting Date of Public Meeting

Number of Attendees

St Mark's Church Community Centre, Calder Rise, Bedford MK41 7UY

14 March 2013 4

Ravensden Village Hall, Church Hill, Ravensden, MK44 2RL

19 April 2013 12

Anjulita Court, Bramley Way, Bedford, MK41 7GD

24 April 2013 18

23. Following the public meeting at Anjulita Court a meeting was arranged for representatives from Brickhill Parish Council,

Woodlands Park residents and Ravensden Parish Council and this meeting was held on 29 April 2013. This discussed the information that was available to members of the public and the remaining stages of the review.

24. During the Stage Four period of consultation, individual letters were written to every local government elector on the electoral roll on 20 November 2013 within Brickhill Parish and Ravensden Parish (including Woodlands Park). The letter outlined the draft recommendations and provided details submitted by the relevant Parish Council(s). Each letter also

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contained a response postcard to remove obstacles to electors to respond. The Stage Four online survey address was also provided on the letter and the notice and an email contact address was given on the postcard. Letters and emails were also sent out to Brickhill and Ravensden Parish Councils informing them of the start date of Stage Four; they provided material that was included in the letters sent to electors.

25. All electors were advised in the Stage Four consultation of the remaining timetable for the review and that final

recommendations would be published on the Council’s website following the decision of the General Purposes Committee on 21 January 2014.

3 Analysis and final recommendations 26. Final recommendations have been prepared on the community governance arrangements for the review area of Brickhill

and Ravensden Parishes. 27. As described earlier, the Borough Council must abide by the duties on it under Section 93 of the Local Government and

Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. This section of the 2007 Act requires that the Borough Council must have regard to the need to secure that community governance within the area under review –

(a) reflects the identities and interests of the community in that area, and

(b) is effective and convenient.

28. In considering the future electoral arrangements for a parish council (including a new parish council), Section 95 of the

2007 Act requires the Borough Council to examine whether parish wards should be created to facilitate separate representation on that parish council for electors living in different areas within the parish. In relation to the number of parish councillors to be elected (for an un-warded parish or for separate parish wards) the Borough Council must have regard to the following factors:

(a) the number of local government electors for the parish; (b) any change in that number which is likely to occur in the period of five years beginning with the day when the

review starts.

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29. These recommendations cannot affect areas outside of the current Parishes of Brickhill and Ravensden. Nor can it make changes to postcodes. Consequential changes to Borough Ward boundaries can be identified through this process and, if appropriate, representations submitted to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to consider.

Submissions Received 30. During the initial element of consultation as part of Stage Two of this review, the Borough Council received a total of 410

representations. Of these, one was from Brickhill Parish Council, one was from Ravensden Parish Council and one was from Woodlands Park Residents’ Association.

31. During the extended element only of the consultation as part of Stage Two of this review, the Borough Council received a

total of 590 representations. 153 of these came via a petition circulated by members of the Woodlands Park Residents’ Association.

32. During the Stage Four consultation period of this review, the Borough Council received a total of 685 valid responses two

of these representations were regarding the Brickhill Parish boundary with the unparished area of Putnoe Ward.

33. All representations received can be viewed at the Council’s offices upon request. A pseudonomised version of the submissions from all stages of the review is available on the Council’s website at www.bedford.gov.uk/Brickhill_Ravensden.

34. There was one submission received to amend the boundary of Brickhill Parish in relation to the small number of

properties in Lombardy Close, Rowallan Drive and Troon Close which are within the Parish whereas the majority of properties in those roads are unparished and in the Borough Ward of Putnoe. There were no representations to amend the boundary of the Parish at the Ellis Road area; although the Parish Council did receive comments from several residents on this issue during the Stage Two consultation period. In addition, during the Stage Four consultation there was one representation for Nursery Gardens, Brickhill, to revert back to Putnoe Ward.

Electorate Figures 35. As part of the review, the Community Engagement Team of the Borough Council provided electorate forecasts for the

year 2018 for the review area by Polling District. These forecasts projected an increase in the electorate across the two

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Parishes of less than 1% over the five year period from 2013 to 2018. This indicates a particularly stable, if dynamic, community across the review area. This poses fewer risks for the review than an area where the electorate is changing dramatically in the medium term.

36. The electorate forecasts referred to above are set out below:

Parish Parish Ward Polling District Electorate 2013 Electorate 2018Brickhill North Parish Ward BB 2211 2211 East Parish Ward BA 2012 2012 BC 1591 1591

South & West Parish Ward BD 871 883

Ravensden No Parish Wards NP* 1049 1091 NQ 399 401 NR 195 195

* The Woodlands Park development is within Polling District NP

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Parish Areas 37. The review area encompasses the area of two Parishes which share a common boundary; Brickhill and Ravensden.

Brickhill is generally urban in nature when compared with Ravensden Parish which is generally rural in nature. Within the Ravensden Parish is the development of Woodlands Park. Vehicular access to Woodlands Park is along Ashmead Road which is accessed from Tyne Crescent within Brickhill Parish (via a small area of Clapham Parish). There is no direct vehicular link between the Woodlands Park development and the remainder of the Ravensden Parish. The Woodlands Park development is more urban in nature than the remainder of Ravensden Parish. Electors were first registered at properties in the Woodlands Park development in 2007. As such, it is a relatively new development.

38. In contrast to the physical separation of the Woodlands Park development from the remainder of Ravensden Parish,

many homes in the Woodlands Park development are particularly close to homes in the Parish of Brickhill. Most notably Grenadier Close in Woodlands Park is adjacent to homes in Hodder Close, Churnet Close and the Wear in Brickhill Parish. In addition the closed end of Ashmead Road in Woodlands Park is particularly close to the closed end of Westrope Way in Brickhill Parish.

Parish Councils 39. Section 94 of the 2007 Act requires that where it is recommended that a new Parish is created or an existing Parish is

altered and the local government electorate in the new/altered Parish is 1,000 or more that there must also be a recommendation for a Parish Council for that Parish. If the parish has 150 or fewer local government electors, the review must recommend that the parish should not have a council.

40. As the final recommendations involve the area of the Woodlands Park becoming part of Brickhill Parish (and cease to be

part of Ravensden Parish) there are electorate issues to consider. For Brickhill Parish the 2013 electorate was 6685; and with the electors in Woodlands Park the total would rise to 7734. This therefore requires a recommendation that the Parish shall have a Parish Council.

41. For Ravensden, the 2013 electorate of 1645 would mean that it too would require a recommendation that it should have

a Parish Council. However, as the recommendation is that the Parish be altered by excluding the area of the Woodlands Park development (Polling District NP) the total electorate would be 594. As such, there is no requirement on the Borough Council to recommend that the Parish have a Parish Council.

42. It is a final recommendation that the proposed altered Parish of Ravensden should have a Parish Council to manage the

affairs of the Parish. The settlements of the Parish of Ravensden are quite separated one from the other and it is

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important that there is a facility to provide a forum for those settlements to be represented and with which to engage. While the numbers of the electors is significantly lower that than that requiring a Parish Council; there is not a reason to deprive the Parish of this established feature in its community governance that pre-dates the Woodlands Park development.

Existing Parish Council Size and Electoral Fairness 43. Ravensden Parish has a Parish Council and this is currently comprised of seven Parish Councillors. The current number

of electors per Parish Councillor in the current Parish is 235 (based on 1645 electors in NP, NQ and NR Polling Districts). The average ratio of electors to Parish Councillors in the Borough of Bedford is 220 and therefore the position for Ravensden is close to the average. There are no Parish Wards in Ravensden Parish.

44. Brickhill Parish has a Parish Council and this is currently comprised of thirteen Parish Councillors. As there are Parish

Wards, the representation is four Parish Councillors for East and North Parish Wards and five Parish Councillors for South & West Parish Ward. The ratio of electors to Parish Councillors is currently 514 (based on 6685 electors in BA, BB, BC and BD Polling Districts). While this is a significantly higher ratio that the average for the Borough, it is not the highest ratio in the Borough. Kempston Town has a higher ratio with 1,348 electors to each Parish/Town Councillor.

45. Looking at the Parish Wards within Brickhill Parish and the representation of those separate Parish Wards, the electoral

ratios are:

Brickhill Parish Ward Polling Districts 2013 Electorate

Current Electoral Ration (Number of electors per Parish Councillor)

Variance from the average (i.e. 514) - + is a lower ratio than the average.

East BA 2012 503 +2.2% North BB 2211 553 -1.1% South & West BC and BD 2462 492 +4.3

. Electoral Arrangements and Future Electoral Fairness 46. The last elections to the Brickhill and Ravensden Parish Council were in 2011. The next scheduled elections are in 2015.

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47. With the intention to alter the existing Parishes of Brickhill and Ravensden at the same time, it is intended that the

elections to the two Parish Councils should continue to be scheduled for May 2015. This will mean that they are on the appropriate four yearly cycle of elections and no interim periods of appointment need to be considered for the newly elected Parish Councillors.

48. In the final recommendations it is proposed that the Parish Council of the altered Parish of Ravensden should have

seven Parish Councillors. This would provide an electoral ratio for the altered Parish of 85 electors per Parish Councillor. This is based on the 2013 electorate of 594 for Polling Districts NQ and NR. This is significantly below the average ratio of 220 electors per Parish Councillor for the Borough as a whole, however at the time of this review there were 16 Parish Councils within the Borough that had an equal or smaller electoral ratio to that of the proposed altered Ravensden Parish Council. The minimum number of Parish Councillors on a Parish Council is five (section 16 of the Local Government Act 1972). However, a Parish Council may find it difficult to function effectively with less than seven Parish Councillors. It is not proposed to establish Parish Wards in the altered Parish of Ravensden.

49. It is proposed that the overall number of Parish Councillors for Brickhill Parish should increase from 13 to 15 Councillors

based on the recommended alteration to its area. It is proposed to retain the Parish Wards within the current Brickhill Parish Area. In view of the final recommendation for the Woodlands Park area (Polling District NP) to be included in the Brickhill Parish, the altered Parish would require a Parish Ward for this area. It is proposed that this Parish Ward be represented by two Parish Councillors on an enlarged Brickhill Parish Council. The overall electoral ratio for the altered Brickhill Parish Council would be 516 electors per Parish Councillor based on a total of 7734 electors in 2013 and a total of 15 Parish Councillors. This is very close to the current electoral ratio for the existing Brickhill Parish Council. The specific electoral ratio for the proposed Woodlands Park Parish Ward would be 525 based on 1049 electors and represented by two Parish Councillors.

50. The above analysis has not been adjusted for the six properties on the boundary of Brickhill Parish with an unparished

area adjacent to Putnoe Ward which form a final recommendation that they cease to be part of Brickhill Parish. The total number of electors in these addresses was 11 in February 2013. The addresses were in Brickhill Parish Ward at the commencement of this review. The above electoral fairness figures should therefore be read in the light of this final recommendation.

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General Analysis Stage Two Consultation 51. The consultation during the initial elements of Stage Two of this review process generated 410 responses. Of these 381

used a proforma response facility provided by the Council online and in the form of a postcard. There were 333 postcard responses and 48 online responses. The responses received that did not use the proforma facility provided were in the form of a petition signed by 20 electors from Brickhill Parish and correspondence from Brickhill Parish Council, Ravensden Parish Council, Woodland Park Residents’ Association and from seven individuals.

52. The initial Stage Two consultation occurred between 23 February and 22 May 2013. Some key outcomes of the consultation

were: • The overall response rate (compared with the electorate figures) was 4.9%, the highest being from Ravensden Parish

excluding Woodlands Park (17.2%), followed by Woodlands Park (13.5%) and then Brickhill Parish (1.7%). • There were clear majorities among respondents from Brickhill Parish and from Ravensden Parish (excluding Woodlands

Park) in favour of Woodlands Park becoming part of Brickhill Parish. • There was a finely balanced view from respondents from Woodlands Park between the options of creating a separate Parish

for Woodlands Park and Woodlands Park becoming part of Brickhill Parish.

53. The view of Brickhill Parish Council was that Brickhill Parish be amended to include Woodlands Park. Ravensden Parish

Council expressed the view that the Woodlands Park development should not actually form part of Ravensden Parish and should therefore be moved either into Brickhill [Parish] or be granted its own parish. The Woodlands Park Residents’ Association endorsed the option of becoming an independent parish.

54. The Terms of Reference for the review included an expectation at the end of Stage Two that there would be 5% of the

electors and other stakeholders in support of a single option. On the basis of a combined electorate in the review area of 8,328 this would mean a total of 417 respondents supporting a particular option. This had not been achieved in the initial element of Stage Two.

55. In view of the position at the end of the initial element of the Stage Two consultation, this stage was reopened and

extended with a view to enabling more submissions from within the review area. This period was specifically sought to address the views of those who had not responded to the review from among local government electors and others with a stake in the review relating to Woodlands Park.

Extended Stage

56. The consultation on the options in respect of future arrangements during the extended Stage Two consultation of this review

process generated 590 responses. Of these 437 used a pro forma response facility provided by the Council online and in the form of a postcard. There were 397 postcard responses and 40 online responses. The responses received that did not use the pro forma facility were in the form of a petition signed by 153 electors from the Woodlands Park development.

57. The combined responses from both the initial and extended elements of the Stage Two consultation are summarised in the

table below.

Ravensden Parish being amended to exclude the Woodlands Park development and:

No change to the existing arrangement for Brickhill and Ravensden Parishes

Creation of a new Parish for Woodlands Park

The creation of a de-parished area for Woodlands Park

Brickhill Parish be amended to include Woodlands Park

Total Number of Responses

Responses from Ravensden Parish (excluding Woodlands Park) (Polling Districts NQ and NR) 5 31 4 62 102

Responses from Woodlands Park (Polling District NP) 10 231 4 226 471

Responses from Brickhill Parish (Polling Districts BA-BD) 17 7 0 350 374

Combined totals (whole of both Parishes – Polling Districts NP-NR and BA-BD) 32 269 8 638 948

Note that in the Extended phase of the Stage Two consultation two respondents from Brickhill selected “Other” as their response.

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60. The above table represents all responses (excluding where multiple responses in a single element of consultation) including those where a respondent has expressed a preference in both the initial and extended consultation. Below is an analysis of the responses in respect of the responses from residents from Woodlands Park. The analysis has only been undertaken due to the narrow level of difference between the views expressed for a separate parish and those supporting Woodlands Park becoming part of Brickhill Parish.

61. There were a total of 43 respondents who did not appear on the Electoral Register within the Polling District that was stated

in their response. If these were excluded from the total from Woodlands Park there would be 208 local government electors in Woodlands Park in favour of the creation of a new Woodlands Park Parish and 206 in favour of Brickhill Parish being amended to include Woodlands Park.

61.1) However a total of 59 Woodlands Park residents responded during both the initial and extended Stage Two

consultation. Taking into account those who changed their preference between the initial and extended consultation and those whose preference remained the same; in Woodlands Park there were 197 local government electors in favour of the creation of a new Woodlands Park Parish and 201 in favour of Woodlands Park being included within Brickhill Parish.

63. When both of the conditions above were applied to responses from Woodlands Park there were 176 local government

electors in favour of the creation of a new Woodlands Park Parish and 182 in favour of Brickhill Parish being amended to include Woodlands Park.

64. Below is a table with both exclusions considered: Ravensden Parish being amended to exclude the Woodlands Park

development and: No change to the existing arrangement for Brickhill and Ravensden Parishes

Creation of a new Parish for Woodlands Park

The creation of a de-parished area for Woodlands Park

Brickhill Parish be amended to include Woodlands Park

Total Number of Responses

Responses from Woodlands Park (Polling District NP) 10 176 4 182 372

Combined totals (whole of both Parishes – Polling Districts NP-NR and BA-BD) 32 214 8 594 848

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65. Of those who responded but were not local government electors of Woodlands Park there were 20 who believed that Woodlands Park should become part of Brickhill Parish and 23 who believed that Woodlands Park should become a parish in its own right.

66. From the above table it is clear that the 5% response level envisaged in the Terms of Reference has been met in Stage Two of the consultation and that the option of Woodlands Park becoming part of Brickhill Parish has the highest level of support across each of the three sub-divisions within the review area identified above (within the terms set out in this report).

Stage Four

67. Following publication of the draft recommendations from this review there was a period of consultation. Stage Four of this review process generated 685 valid responses. Of these 684 used a proforma response facility provided by the Council online and in the form of a postcard. There were 647 postcard responses and 37 online responses. The one valid response not received via a proforma response facility was via email, providing a clear preference for one of the options shown below (67), as well as having a name and address found on the electoral register.

68. The proforma facility asked respondents to indicate how far they agreed/disagreed with the draft recommendations for the

Community Governance Review of Brickhill Parish and Ravensden Parish (including Woodlands Park).

69. Respondents could also provide additional comments to amplify their response to the basic question being asked. The responses received to the six options in the proforma (where a single option was chosen) have been summarised below:

Neutral Mostly Disagree

Fully Disagree

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Fully Agree Mostly Agree Don’t Know Total Number Responses

Stage 4 Responses from Ravensden Parish (excluding Woodlands Park) (Polling Districts NQ and NR)

70 3 5 0

1 1 80 Responses from Woodlands Park (Polling District NP) 61 12 2 1

7 0 83

Responses from Brickhill Parish (Polling Districts BA-BD) 350 61 43 4

57 7 522 Combined totals (whole of both Parishes – Polling Districts NP-NR and BA-BD)

481 76 50 5

65 8 685 70.2% 11.1% 7.3% 0.7%

9.5% 1.2%

70. As well as the above, 28 further submissions were received. However, the majority of these did either not include

names/addresses or there was no preference indicated. 71. The views expressed by respondents during this stage of the review indicate that a clear majority of them fully or mostly

agree with the draft recommendations (81.3% combined). The views of respondents from addresses in the subdivisions of the review area if taken separately are similarly strong (i.e. in Woodlands Park, Ravensden (excluding Woodlands Park) and Brickhill Parishes).

72. The Terms of Reference for the review indicated that there was an expectation that responses in favour of an option would

be greater than 5% of the local electors. Based on an electorate for the whole review area of 8,328 a 5% response rate would equate to 416 responses. There were 481 individual responses indicating they Fully Agreed with the draft recommendations of Woodlands Park ceasing to be part of Ravensden Parish and becoming part of Brickhill Parish. This is a 5.8% response rate and therefore above the 5% quoted. Within the total, it is noted that response rate for that option was, respectively, 5.8% from Woodlands Park (61 from 1054 electors), 11.9% from Ravensden (excluding Woodlands Park) (70 from 587 electors) and 5.2% from Brickhill Parish (350 from 6692 electors). As such the stated threshold in the Terms of Reference has been met.

73. Councillor Headley of Putnoe Ward also submitted a representation focusing on the following properties which were part of

Brickhill Parish at the commencement of this review and form part of the boundary of Brickhill Parish with the unparished

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area of Putnoe Ward. These properties are as follows; numbers 2, 4 and 6 Troon Close, numbers 7 and 8 Lombardy Close and 2a Rowallan Drive. His representation was that these properties be excluded from Brickhill Parish. The anomaly of these properties was identified in the Terms of Reference for the Review and it is therefore part of the final recommendations that the boundary of Brickhill Parish be amended to exclude these properties from the Parish.

Conclusions

74. The levels of support for a particular option reached the 5% level envisaged in the Terms of Reference for the Review Area

as a whole within the Stage Two consultation. As such, based on the most favoured option from respondents, the draft recommendations for “Brickhill Parish being amended to include Woodlands Park” was proposed to electors in Stage Four, the level of support for those selecting either “Fully Agree” or “Mostly Agree” reached the 5% level envisaged for the Review Area as a whole. As such this now forms the basis of the final recommendations.

75. The final recommendations are made having considered the development of Woodlands Park adjacent to Brickhill Parish

has an urban style of construction more similar to Brickhill Parish than the remainder of Ravensden and the profile of the electorate of Woodlands Park (Polling District NP) is closer to that of Brickhill than it is to the remainder of Ravensden. The final recommendations have given due regard to the outcome of consultation in Stage Two and then in Stage Four of the review and the expressed views of the Parish Councils in the area on their future electoral arrangements. In the same way consideration has been given to the 70 submissions in the Stage Four consultation to suggest that the draft recommendations should not be adopted as final recommendations) by selecting either Mostly or Fully Disagree via the proforma response facilities).

76. The final recommendations have been amended from the draft recommendations adopted on 5 November 2013. The

amendment takes account of the representations received in the Stage Four consultation and relates to adjusting the boundary of Brickhill Parish to exclude 2, 4 and 6 Troon Close, 7 and 8 Lombardy Close and 2a Rowallan Drive, Bedford.

77. The final recommendations are set out in Appendix A.2 of this report. In submitting these final recommendations the Borough Council considers that they reflect the identities and interests of the community.

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4 What happens next?

75. The Borough Council has now concluded its review of community governance for the current Ravensden and Brickhill parishes. The final recommendations will be submitted to the Council for consideration. If approved, an Order will then be drafted to bring into force the final recommendations. The Order will provide for the new Community Governance arrangements to be implemented in April 2015.

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5 Mapping Final recommendations for Brickhill and Ravensden Parishes 76. The map at Appendix A.3 represents the final recommendations to alter the boundaries of Ravensden Parish by removing the

area of the Woodlands Park development (Polling District NP) from the Parish and the alteration of the Parish of Brickhill to include that area within its area.

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Appendix A.1 Code of practice on written consultation

The Cabinet Office’s Code of Practice on Written Consultation (November 2000) (http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/servicefirst/2000/consult/code/_consultation.pdf) requires all government departments and agencies to adhere to certain criteria on the conduct of public consultations. Public bodies, such as the Borough Council , are encouraged to follow the Code. The Code of Practice applies to consultation documents published after 1 January 2001, which should reproduce the criteria, give explanations of any departures, and confirm that the criteria have otherwise been followed. Compliance with the Cabinet Office’s Code of Practice on Written Consultation in respect of this community governance review Criteria Compliance/departure Timing of consultation should be built into the planning process for a policy (including legislation) or service from the start, so that it has the best prospect of improving the proposals concerned, and so that sufficient time is left for it at each stage.

Compliance

It should be clear who is being consulted, about what questions, in what timescale and for what purpose.

Compliance

A consultation document should be as simple and concise as possible. It should include a summary, in two pages at most, of the main questions it seeks views on. It should make it as easy as possible for readers to respond, make contact or complain.

Compliance

Documents should be made widely available, with the fullest use of electronic means (though not to the exclusion of others), and effectively drawn to the attention of all interested groups and individuals

Compliance

Sufficient time should be allowed for considered responses from all groups with an interest. Twelve weeks should be the standard minimum period for a consultation.

Compliance

Responses should be carefully and open-mindedly analysed, and the results made widely available, with an account of the views expressed, and reasons for decisions finally taken.

Compliance

Departments should monitor and evaluate consultations, designating a consultation co-ordinator who will ensure the lessons are disseminated

Compliance

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Appendix A.2 COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE REVIEW FOR THE CURRENT PARISHES OF BRICKHILL AND RAVENSDEN (INCLUDING WOODLANDS PARK) RECOMMENDATIONS OF BEDFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL

Recommendation

Brickhill Ravensden

Constitute/Alter a Parish (s87(1) (New) and s88(2) (Existing))

The area of the existing Parish should be altered to include the area in which the development known as the Woodlands Park is situated (Polling District NP within the current Ravensden Parish).

The area of the existing Parish should be altered to exclude the area in which the development known as the Woodlands Park is situated (Polling District NP).

Boundaries of Parishes (s87(2) (New) and s88(2) (Existing)

The boundary of the existing Parish remains unaltered except for that element of the boundaries with the current Ravensden Parish (Polling District NP) and the unparished area of Putnoe Ward. At the Ravensden section, the boundary is amended to encompass the Polling District NP and its boundary with Polling District NQ as the new boundary for the Parish. At the Putnoe section, 2, 4 and 6 Troon Close, 7 and 8 Lombardy Close and 2a Rowallan Drive will be removed from Brickhill Parish.

The boundary of the existing Parish remains unaltered except for that element of the boundary with the current Brickhill Parish (Polling District NP). At this section, the boundary is amended to exclude the Polling District NP. The Parish boundary at this section would then follow the line of the boundary between Polling Districts NP and NQ.

Parish Council (s87(6) (New) and s88(4) (Existing) – and generally s94)

The Parish shall continue to have a council. This is a required recommendation where the parish has 1,000 or more local government electors. The electorate figures for such a redefined parish in 2013 were 1102.

The new Parish shall have a council. This is an optional recommendation where the parish has 150-1,000 or more local government electors. The electorate figures for such a redefined parish in 2013 were 594.

Name and style of Parish (s87(5)&(7) (New) and s88(3)&(5) (Existing))

Brickhill Parish

Ravensden Parish

Parish Warding

That Parish Wards be implemented. The existing Parish Wards of North (Polling District BA), East

Not to establish Parish Wards. This recommendation is made on the basis that a

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(s95(2) and (6))

(Polling District BB) and South & West (Polling Districts BC and BD) be retained and the Polling District NP be constituted as the “Woodlands” Parish Ward. This recommendation is made on the basis that the identified areas of the proposed altered parish should be separately represented on the council.

single election of councillors is practicable and convenient and it is not desirable that any area of the proposed redefined parish should be separately represented on the council at this stage.

Electoral Arrangements - Council Size (s89(2) (New) and s90(2) (Existing -continuing))

The number of councillors to be elected for the council for the Parish should be 15. This takes account of the number of local government electors for the parish and the change in that number likely to occur to 2018. This number is also within the range suggested by the former Aston Business School and based on similar size parishes locally. The separate Parish Wards will be represented by the following numbers of Parish Councillors: East – Four Parish Councillors North – Four Parish Councillors South & West – Five Parish Councillors Woodlands – Two Parish Councillors

The number of councillors to be elected for the council for the Parish should be seven. This takes account of the number of local government electors for the parish and the change in that number likely to occur to 2018. This number is also within the range suggested by the former Aston Business School and based on similar size parishes locally.

Implementation (including electoral arrangements) (s89(2) (New) and s90(2) (Existing -continuing))

The changes referred to should be implemented on 1 April 2015 with elections to the council in May 2015 followed by an election every 4th year thereafter

The new parish should be established on 1 April 2015 with elections to the council in May 2015 followed by an election every 4th year thereafter

Appendix A.3

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Appendix A.4

Additional legislation considered Equal Opportunities In the conduct of this review, the Council has been mindful of its duties under the Equality Act 2010 which places a duty on the Authority to have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in regard to age, disability, reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. While there is no adverse impact on the Council’s duty identified by officers, Members must also assess for themselves this matter as part of the consideration of the final recommendation.