LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ENGLAND Citation, commencement and interpretation 1 1 This Order may be cited as the District of Thanet (Electoral Changes) Order 2001. 2 This Order shall come into force— a for the purpose of proceedings preliminary or relating to any election to be held on 1st May 2003, on 15th October 2002; b for all other purposes, on 1st May 2003. 3 In this Order— “district” means the district of Thanet; “existing”, in relation to a ward, means the ward as it exists on the date this Order is made; and any reference to the map is a reference to the map prepared by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions marked “Map of the District of Thanet (Electoral Changes) Order 2001”, and deposited in accordance with regulation 27 of the Local Government Changes for England Regulations 1994 . Wards of the district of Thanet 2 1 The existing wards of the district shall be abolished. 2 The district shall be divided into twenty-three wards which shall bear the names set out in column (1) of the Schedule. 3 The wards shall comprise the areas designated on the map by reference to the name of the ward and demarcated by red lines; and the number of councillors to be elected for each ward shall be the number specified in respect of the ward in column (2) of the Schedule. 4 Where a boundary is shown on the map as running along a road, railway line, footway, watercourse or similar geographical feature, it shall be treated as running along the centre line of the feature. Elections of the council of Thanet 3 1 The ordinary elections of all councillors of the district of Thanet shall be held simultaneously on the ordinary day of election of non-metropolitan district councillors in 2003 and every fourth year after 2003. 2 The term of office of councillors shall be four years; and all councillors shall retire on the fourth day after the ordinary day of election of councillors in the year of retirement and the newly-elected councillors shall come into office on the day on which their predecessors retire. Wards of the parish of Birchington 4 1 The existing wards of the parish of Birchington shall be abolished. 2 The parish shall be divided into two parish wards which shall bear the names Birchington North and Birchington South; and each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name. 3 The number of councillors to be elected for the Birchington North parish ward shall be four, and for the Birchington South parish ward shall be six. Wards of the parish of Broadstairs and St Peters 5 1 The existing wards of the parish of Broadstairs and St Peters shall be abolished. 2 The parish shall be divided into five parish wards which shall bear the names Beacon Road, Bradstowe, Kingsgate, St Peters and Viking; and each parish ward shall comprise the area of the district ward bearing the same name. 3 The number of councillors to be elected for each of the St Peters and Viking parish wards shall be four, for each of the Beacon Road and Bradstowe parish wards shall be three, and for the Kingsgate parish ward shall be one. Revocation 6 The District of Thanet (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1978 is hereby revoked. Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions Alan Whitehead Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 1st November 2001