Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary or affected interests in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

Any Member with an affected Interest in a matter must disclose the interest to the meeting.  There is no requirement to withdraw from the meeting when the interest is only an affected interest, but the Monitoring Officer should be notified of the interest, if not previously notified of it, within 28 days of the meeting.

To approve the Boundary Review Working Group’s proposal for a warding pattern for Bracknell Forest in response to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s Stage 2 consultation.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is reviewing Bracknell Forest Council’s electoral arrangements.  The new arrangements for the Borough are scheduled to come into effect at the Council elections in May 2023.  The Commission’s review is undertaken in two stages.  The first stage to determine the future Council size was completed on 7 January.  The outcome was that the Commission is minded to recommend that 40 councillors should be elected to Bracknell Forest Council in future; two fewer than the current arrangements.  This was consistent with the Working Group’s recommendation that was agreed by Council on 13 November 2019. 

Stage Two of the review will determine a new pattern of electoral wards to accommodate 40 councillors.  The Commission has opened a consultation inviting proposals for the new warding pattern.  This phase of the consultation closes on 16 March 2020.

The cross-party Boundary Review Working Group appointed by Council on 17July reconvened and worked with support from officer to develop a Borough-wide warding pattern in response to the consultation, that demonstrates how the statutory criteria set by the Commission have been met.  Council was asked to agree the working group’s proposal.

The proposal had full cross-party support and Councillor Birch read a statement in support of the proposal from Councillor Parker at his request in his absence.    

On the proposition of Councillor Birch, Chairman of the Boundary Review Working Group, seconded by Councillor Temperton, Labour Group Leader

it was RESOLVED unanimously that the cross party Boundary Review Working Group proposal on a future warding pattern for Bracknell Forest Council be agreed and submitted to the Commission by 16 March 2020, subject to the inclusion of the following factual correction to the final sentence of the Boundaries section of the proposal (page 2) to read:

‘Windsor Parliamentary Constituency includes the three northern parishes with the exception of Martins Heron, The Warren and Forest Park which are in the Bracknell Parliamentary Constituency.’

Vote of thanks to the Officers supporting the Boundary Review Working Group.

Cllr Birch, Chairman of the Boundary Review Working Group,  delivered a vote of thanks to Timothy Wheadon, Andrew Hunter, Ann Moore and Philip Sadler who supported the Boundary Review Working Group with the preparation of the proposal submission.