Maesbury Parish Council...?
Should Maesbury have its own Parish Council? For those of us that think it should, the process is now relatively easy, thanks to the 'Local Government & Rating Act 1997'.
We have a circular issued by the Department of the Environment, July 1997, sent to all Local Authorities, which explains the procedures for creating new parishes, changing boundaries, and the abolition of parishes. Click on the link for the full 68k Word file, or read on for a brief summary and some extracts.
At present we have a Maesbury and Aston Ward, which is just one part of the Oswestry Rural Parish (see Local Government of Maesbury) This is a very large parish, taking in Trefonen, Morda, Rhydycroesau etc., which is not at all representative of the local community in Maesbury. It is a very old arrangement, made long before the 1997 Act. and is now clearly contrary to it:
"Parish councils have two main roles: community representation and local administration. For both purposes it is desirable that a parish should reflect a small, distinctive and recognisable community of interest, with its own sense of identity. The feeling of local community and the wishes of local inhabitants are the primary considerations."
In the 2001 Census Oswestry Rural Parish had a total population of 3,776 (figure from the Sweeney/Trefonen Ward which is identical). In Oswestry Borough about 60% of the total population was over 18, giving approx 2,265 electors in the Rural Parish.
In comparison the Kinnerley electoral ward, which combines the three parishes of Knockin, Kinnerley and Melverley, had a total population of 1,304 in 2001 - an average 434 people per parish, of which about 258 were electors.
This shows that the Oswestry Rural Parish is at least 10 times the size of each of the Knockin, Kinnerley or Melverley Parishes.
The easiest way forward would be to convert the Maesbury and Aston Ward into a new Parish, within the existing boundaries (see below for more about boundaries). There are three possible ways to proceed, of which the best is for the local authority to agree to the creation of the parish, then:
"The district council [Oswestry Borough] may review . . . part of its area and make recommendations [to the Secretary of State] for changes in parish boundaries (including the creation, alteration or abolition of a parish) and consequential changes in electoral arrangements."
If our local authority declines to support this there are further ways to proceed which could overturn their views, but obviously it would be far better to work together from the outset. Support from the existing Rural Parish Council would also be important and it would be appropriate for the issue to be discussed with them first.
If a new Parish is created then:
"Rural Areas . . . Section 16(2) of the 1997 Act requires that a parish with 200 or more electors must have a parish council."
This reference to 200 electors is a clear indication of the size of Parish that is considered appropriate in the 1997 Act. There is also provision for a petition of just 250 electors to overule the local authority in applying for a new Parish. In rural areas as few as 150 electors is sufficient to demand a Parish Council.
Maesbury and Aston Parish would still be bigger than three of our neighbouring parishes. Change will only come if the local community demands it, perhaps the time has come to do that.
On Monday January 23, 2006, at a meeting of the Maesbury Community Action Group, at the Original Ball, there was a discussion about the points raised above. A show of hands was then called for by the chairman from the 35-40 people present. The votes were not counted but the majority voted in favour of a Maesbury Parish Council, several abstained, there were no votes against.
- Parish Finances - an overview of the current situation
- Evidence of the need for a Maesbury Parish
- A Brief Political and Economic
History of Maesbury - showing the need for a new parish
- Local Government and Rating Act 1997 - link to the official government website for the wording of the Act itself. However, the summary by the Department of the Evironment is rather easier to read.
- CreateACouncil.org.uk - a very useful website from the National Association of Local Councils
- The Electoral Commission - useful for info about boundary changes
- The Borough of Oswestry (Electoral Changes) Order 2000 - appears to be the last changes made
- Shadow
Parish Council - from the National Association of Local Councils
- Powers and Duties of Local Councils (PDF)
Boundaries
The
boundaries of the existing Maesbury and Aston Ward are extremely out of
date. As can be seen on the right, they pre-date the building of the A483
by-pass, the Industrial Estate, and the re-alinged A5. These boundaries
were based on farms which no longer exist. (for the precise boundaries
see interactive
Shrop-map from Shropshire CC)
As a result, all of the industrial estate to the west of Maesbury Road is in the Rural Parish!! - and the field on our side of the by-pass is part of the Town Council - and... the area opposite the filling station (designated for a new multi-million pound leisure centre) is in the Maesbury/Aston Ward. That could be resolved relatively easily - using the by-pass as the boundary. As there are no residential dwellings, therefore no electors, in any of those areas, it could be possible to resolve this at the same time as creating the new parish.
Other boundary issues are more complicated and would be best left until after the creation of the Maesbury and Aston Parish:
We have the good people of Aston Square, Middleton and Wooton, plus a long stretch of canal beyond the Queen's Head. This could all be better moved to the Whittington and/or West Felton Parishes, but that becomes much more complicated as it includes dwellings, and electors, thus impacting on the electoral boundaries for both the Borough and County Councils.
There is a fairly obvious case for a comprehensive review of all Parish boundaries in Oswestry Borough, many of which seem more relevant to the 19th century than the 21st.
A newly created Maesbury Parish Council would be in a good position to take the initiative in pushing this forward.