Harlow Labour slam Tory proposals to change ward boundaries
News / Tue 26th Jul 2022 at 09:38am
TWO senior Labour councillors have slammed Tory proposals to change ward boundaries.
Cllrs Chris Vince and Tony Edwards said:
“At the meeting of the boundary review committee on the 4th of July, as the only Labour Councillors, we voted against the boundary review proposals which will be presented to full Council on Thursday. The three Conservative Councillors voted in favour.
There are a number of issues with the proposals, not the least of which is the carving up of the ward of Church Langley. We know this is completely unnecessary as the population of Church Langley is not only big enough to be a ward on its own but, like Potter Street to the South, Church Langley has a distinct community identity with many of its own services.
“We do not agree with the Conservative administration that the A414 should be a dividing line for the wards, that is not the case at the moment, and following the devastating closure of Osler House GP surgery many residents of Potter Street travel to Bush Fair for their medical and other needs. Having spoken to residents in Potter Street it is clear that they have more connection with Bush Fair, Harlow Common and Latton Bush than with Church Langley and Vice Versa.
We also disagree with a number of other changes to the proposed warding structure, one being the fact that under the Conservative proposals the community of Hare Street will be split between three wards. This directly contradicts the expressed desire of the Boundaries Commission to recognise the identities of distinct communities.
“Harlow Labour Party will, therefore, be submitting their own proposals to the boundary commission, proposals which seek to minimise the disruption to existing communities and which will retain the unique identity of Church Langley as one ward”.
The proposals are scheduled to be voted on Thursday night at Full Council.
https://moderngov.harlow.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=123&MId=1476&Ver=4
Mark R E Gough
2022-07-26 10:39:12
Now why oh why do Labour object to these I wonder? Could it be that it won't be as easy for them to win them at Election time perhaps? Of course it is. It's completely disingenuous of either Party to pretend they care about anything else!
Martin Elven
2022-07-26 11:21:39
Mark Gough, the flipside to that is why are the Tories changing the boundaries - to make winning easier. And it does seem like winning/retaining power is the be all and end all at times. Actually serving the people seems to be forgotten in some of the current spats.
James Leppard
2022-07-26 12:19:26
This post by Chris Vince is highly disingenuous and factually incorrect. The Boundary Conmission stipulated clearly in a presentation to the Working Group that major roads such as the A414 should be a boundary. If Messrs Vince and Edwards actually troubled to look at a map, they would see that this road is in fact already the boundary throughout the District except for the last 400 m in the South, where the truncated anomaly of Harlow Common Ward exists with two completely unconnected communities. The East of the A414 is currently seriously under represented and merits 3 separate wards on the basis of democratic fairness. Mr Viince noticeably omits to provide any details of Labour’s proposals, which defied any logic or reason. They included a narrow strip of land running from Old Harlow to Rams Gorse as a new Old Harlow Ward and transferring part of Mark Hall to the completely unrelated area of Newhall. Furthermore, unlike the Conservative members they produced not one shred of supporting evidence to back their wayward proposals. Their contribution to this important exercise was pitiful and well below the standards residents should expect from their councillors.
Rebecca Thomson
2022-07-26 12:27:39
Mr Vince is wrong. Most residents of Potter Street use the clinic at Church Langley. We have no links with Bush Fair and Latton Bush, but use the Church Langley supermarket and pub/restaurant. He clearly doesn’t know the area and local arrangements. I think these changes make sense.
J
2022-07-26 12:33:48
Good change - stops Church Langley residents pretending they’re not a part of Harlow. Welcome to East Harlow Church Langley - we don’t bite!
Nicholas Taylor
2022-07-26 14:37:46
Bearing in mind that about 70% of residents do not take the trouble to vote, these changes will have little or no effect on peoples lives. Ward boundaries do not create or indeed change how people feel about being in a community. Someone who lives in for instance Hare Street, knows where the boundary is, it is shown on a road map, not where someone decides where the Ward boundary is. Could an alternative approach have been made though, some Wards only having two Councillors?
James Leppard
2022-07-26 14:41:13
The whole purpose of the Boundary Commission review is primarily to review demographic changes since the last review in 2010 and to make such changes as necessary to ensure electoral equality. Since then, there have been significant developments, principally in the East of the District. Currently six of the 11 wards in Harlow are beyond the variance limits set by the Boundary Commission. Three wards are too big (under represented) Old Harlow, Little Parndon & Hare Street and Church Langley. Therefore, they need to reduce in size. Three wards are too small (over represented) and need to increase: Great Parndon, Staple Tye and Sumners & Kingsmoor. The proposal submitted by the Council and advising officers addresses these defects and restores democratic fairness. The Labour objections are without basis and their own proposed map was a brutal carve up of traditional neighbourhoods without any supporting evidence. A map of their proposals will be sent to YH so that comparisons may be made.
James Leppard
2022-07-26 14:47:14
Nicholas, the Boundary Commission made very clear that the only option was 11 wards with 3 councillors per ward. So the option of smaller or larger representations was not a possibility. You are most correct in your observation regarding communities. They exist irrespective of electoral wards. In my own ward of Harlow Common, the Latton Bush area has been split between three wards along Tysea Road since 2010, yet residents do not identify with their respective wards, but rather with their perception of neighbourhood. Labour's claims that 'communities will be destroyed' is pure hyperbole and total nonsense. Your comment regarding low voter turnout is perhaps most significant and should concern all parties much more than minor changes to wards.
J Smithson
2022-07-26 20:40:42
It's a wonder Cllr Leppard gets any work done when he's on here all day arguing with residents using big words to make it look like he's clever.
Rebecca Thomson
2022-07-26 21:36:04
J. Smithson, it must be a relief to you that nobody will ever accuse you of being clever. What is your problem? The Ward proposals make sense. As a resident of Potter Street, I welcome the link with our neighbours in Church Langley.
David Forman
2022-07-26 23:55:57
I agree with Cllr James Leppard that Labour councillors Vince and Edwards have got it wrong in relation to the A414 as a boundary. Take a look at The Local Government Boundary Commission for England page and it says: "And are there roads, rivers, railways or other features that people believe form strong boundaries between neighbourhoods?" See LGBC page at: https://www.lgbce.org.uk/media/news-release-a-new-political-map-for-harlow-council
David Forman
2022-07-27 00:05:42
I agree with councillor Leppard in relation to the number of councillors and wards. Quote: "The Local Government Boundary Commission has decided that the number of councillors in Harlow should be 33, the same as now." See LGBC page at: https://www.lgbce.org.uk/media/news-release-a-new-political-map-for-harlow-council
Theman
2022-07-27 10:02:08
Do we need boundaries at all! All inclusion is the way forward, less division. Besides I think society does fine in spite of our politicians, not because of them. In years gone by only one family member needed to work to get by, now days 2 family members need to work to get by( and more hours). Also we are all enslaved to our technology via the “digital slave trade”. Not really progress for the majority of people is it.
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