Exeter Labour Party – Submission to Devon County Council Boundary Review
We are disappointed by the lack of co-terminosity between the County and City Council
Boundaries. The Local Government Boundary Commission does not seem to have taken into
account the disruption this will cause to both Councils and especially to communities and
residents in Exeter who will undoubtedly be left confused.
If the current Boundary Submissions go ahead unrevised then there will be various parts of
the City where the local County Councillor will cover parts of up to four wards on the City
Council. The co-terminosity which we currently enjoy in Exeter allows County Councillors to
be held accountable by specific communities which are formed from the City Council wards.
This allows there to be greater communication between the two different levels of local
government allowing local issues and problems to be dealt with easier.
There does not appear to have been any communication between the two review teams at
the LGBC. If there had been, then surely the procedure would have been to do the Exeter
City Council boundaries first and then use these wards as the building blocks for the
following Devon County Council Boundary review. Instead the cart has been put before the
horse and we have been left with two sets of boundaries that do not match.
The changes that we are proposing (below) attempt to realign the County boundaries so
that they better match up with the potential new City boundaries while remaining within
the allowable range for electoral numbers.
Regards,
Exeter Labour Party
Exwick/Redhills & Alphington/St Thomas
Redraw boundary line across Cowick Street into Dunsford Road.
Kerswill Road 45; Pineridge Rd 5; Bowhay Lane est. 25. TOTAL 75 into Redhills/Exwick from
Alph St. Thomas and have boundary all along Bowhay Lane.
Exwick Redhills 9868 + 75 = 9943 Variance - 4.5%
Alph/St.Thom 10911 - 75 = 10836 Variance + 4.0%
Our submission also includes a proposed name change for these wards. We submit that
Exwick/Redhills is renamed Exwick/St Thomas and Alphington/St Thomas is changed to
Alphington/Cowick.
We believe that though the boundaries have changed and new wards have been created;
the wards that are proposed remain indicative of the previous areas and should keep the
previous ward names.
Heavitree/Whipton & Wonford/St.Loyes
County Boundary to be changed to City Boundary.
Approx 193 electors. Attwyll127; Hoker Rd 42; Lisa12; Salters Ct.12
Net effect on County Divisions:
Heavitree/Whipton - 1.7% variance
Wonford/St.loyes = - 2.7% variance
Wearside/Topsham & St.David’s/Haven Bank
1 - County Boundary to be changed to City Boundary along Topsham Road where St.David’s
meets Wearside/Topsham. This would result in 351 electors being taken out of
Wearside/Topsham and placed in St. David’s/Haven Banks.
Gras Lawn 192; Jennifer49; Barrack40; Buckerell 70.
2 - Move boundary to between Feltrim Avenue and Rivermead Road. Resulting in 489
electors being transferred from St. Davids/Haven Bank to Wearside/Topsham.
Net effect on County Divisions:
Wearside& Topsham 9668 – 351 + 489 = 9806 = -5.9% variance
St. David’s/Haven Banks 9725 +351-489 = 9586 = -7.9% variance