Cuddesdon and Denton
Creating a single parish ward
Impact on district and county council boundaries
None
To consult on a proposal to deward Cuddesdon and Denton Parish Council.
Summary of responses to the draft proposal consultation
Cuddesdon and Denton Parish Council reiterated its support for the proposal, which it submitted. No other responses have been received on the draft proposal.
To remove the current warding arrangements for Cuddesdon and Denton Parish Council.
The submission from the parish council sets out that the two communities form an integrated community. The two wards came into existence with the creation of the parish council in 1962 when Cuddesdon Parish Council and Denton Parish Meeting became a single parish council. The guidance on community governance reviews states that warding of parish councils should be considered if:
a) the number, or distribution of the local government electors for the parish would make a single election of councillors impracticable or inconvenient; and
b) it is desirable that any area or areas of the parish should be separately represented.
The size of the electorate and distribution of communities does not present an issue for the delivery of elections which are currently held in the same location. The warding of parishes in largely rural areas is unusual. Whilst warding would be appropriate in circumstances where there are communities with separate identities that does not appear to be the case with Cuddesdon and Denton.
This council has applied the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) guidance when considering the number of parish councillors for a parish. NALC recommends that the minimum number of members of a parish council should be seven, and that this number should apply to all councils with an electorate up to 900. Cuddesdon and Denton has an electorate of approximately 370. Maintaining the current council size of seven councillors is therefore reasonable and in accordance with NALC guidance.