# Warwick (Electoral Changes) Order 2014

The Warwick (Electoral Changes) Order 2014 is a statutory instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The order abolished the existing wards in the district of Warwick.

## Background

In 2011, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) decided to review Warwick District Council, since 30% of the wards had over 10% more voters than average. According to the council, the review would "decide how many councillors [are] right for Warwick district" and a working party of one councillor from each political group would be set up to oversee the review process; the review was expected to cost the council £34,700. The council sought to keep a similar number of councillors in order to manage councillor workload.$^{:7}$ It was reported that consideration would be given to single-councillor wards, as well as to Warwick Gates and Chase Meadow becoming their own wards.

### Draft recommendations

The LGBCE announced its draft plans for consultation in 2012. The plans included keeping the number of councillors at 46, having mostly two-councillor wards, and significantly redrawing ward boundaries. Proposals for ward boundaries included new Leam and Sydenham wards being created, Whitnash ward being reduced in size and renamed Briar Hill, and the existing Warwick South and Warwick North wards being significantly redrawn into three new divisions. The plans included only two three-councillor wards, Heathcote & Bishop's Tatchbrook and Kenilworth Abbey, down from eleven three-councillor wards at the 2011 elections.

### Final recommendations

The final recommendations were released by the LGBCE in March 2013. Comments on the proposed wards mainly focused on the areas of Bishop's Tatchbrook, Heathcote, Whitnash, and Myton.$^{:8}$ As a result, changes in the final ward plans included:
* Renaming Briar Hill ward to Whitnash, and redrawing its boundaries to include all of Whitnash parish except for a new housing development in the east which stayed in Sydenham ward.$^{:10}$
* Making a single-councillor Bishop's Tatchbrook ward encompassing the whole of the parish of the same name. Although this ward had 12% less voters (outside of the LGBCE's preferred ±10% variance limit), it was justified by strong community identity as well as the fact it was on the edge of the district, making it harder to be fixed.$^{:10–11}$
* Transferring the area around Heathcote and Europa Way into the proposed Myton ward to make a new Heathcote & Myton ward.$^{:12}$
* Reverting to the previously-used three-councillor St John's and Park Hill wards and removing the proposed ward of Windy Arbour.$^{:13}$

## Provisions

The provisions of the order include:
* Abolishing the existing wards in the district of Warwick.
* Establishing 22 new district wards and designating each as electing a certain amount of councillors:
** Abbey ward – 3 councillors
** Arden ward – 2 councillors
** Aylesford ward – 2 councillors
** Bishop's Tachbrook ward – 1 councillor
** Brunswick ward – 2 councillors
** Budbrooke ward – 2 councillors
** Clarendon ward – 2 councillors
** Crown ward – 2 councillors
** Emscote ward – 2 councillors
** Leam ward – 2 councillors
** Manor ward – 2 councillors
** Milverton ward – 2 councillors
** Myton & Heathcote ward – 2 councillors
** Newbold ward – 2 councillors
** Park Hill ward – 3 councillors
** Radford Semele ward – 1 councillor
** Saltisford ward – 2 councillors
** St John's ward – 3 councillors
** Stoneleigh & Cubbington – 2 councillors
** Sydenham ward – 2 councillors
** Whitnash ward – 3 councillors
** Woodloes ward – 2 councillors
* Abolishing and redrawing wards in the parishes of Cubbington, Kenilworth, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwick and Witnash.