Hayle Mayor Slams Boundary Changes

The Mayor of Hayle says proposed boundary changes by Cornwall Council could leave large areas of the town and surrounding area without effective representation in County Hall. Plans under consultation would see one Cornwall Councillor representing most of Hayle, and another the huge area of Gwithian, Connor Downs, Eastern Hayle and the area to the south of the town.

Mayor Clive Polkinghorne says: “The plans proposed by Cornwall Council are an act of sheer vandalism which will leave residents in a huge area of West Cornwall without effective representation at County Hall. It will be impossible for the Cornwall Councillor elected to cover Gwithian, Phillack, east Hayle, Connor Downs and to the south of Hayle effectively – the area is simply too large.” He wants Cornwall Council to adopt a proposal which provides a north-south split bordered by the railway line and old A30, which he argues would provide more even geographic and effective representation for all residents in the area.

“Many residents of Hayle have contacted me to express their anger and disbelief that such a ludicrous proposal was seriously considered that divorces integral parts of Hayle and its 11,000 residents from each other to save the 1,400-strong population of Connor Downs from being ‘split’ – and I back their views absolutely. If this proposal is adopted, it will hurt some of the most vulnerable people in the area by denying them effective representation at Cornwall Council.

“The people of Hayle are speaking very clearly that they do not want this change imposed on them, and I urge Cornwall Council and the Boundary Commission to reconsider their views urgently and to adopt the proposal developed by Hayle Town Council, giving ALL residents in the area truly effective representation in County Hall. I urge everyone in Hayle and the surrounding area to object to this proposal in the strongest possible terms to the Boundary Commission.”

Your support is needed!

The consultation closes in September – in order for your voice to be heard, we urge you to respond to it. If enough of you respond demanding that it is critical that Hayle Town Council’s proposal (see Further Information below) is adopted, we can hope to ensure not only that everyone receives effective representation at Cornwall Council level, but also that it is less likely that in the future Hayle Town Council’s boundaries will be split and communities divided.

It is absolutely critical to the long-term future of Hayle and the surrounding areas. 

Please respond to the Boundary Commission and say you SUPPORT THE HAYLE TOWN COUNCIL PROPOSAL as a more logical, fair, and representative proposal.

Please write, or email, or respond via the online portal by 17 September 2018:

The Review Officer (Cornwall)
Local Government Boundary Commission for England
14th Floor, Millbank Tower
London
SW1P 4QP

Email: reviews@lgbce.org.uk OR respond direct online at the following link:

https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/9428

The Boundary Commission is the main target (by September) but if people can also copy in matthew.stokes@cornwall.gov.uk  (or by writing to Matthew Stokes, Electoral Services Manager, County Hall, Treyew Road, Cornwall) it will be very helpful.

If you would like a template copy of a letter outlining the main objections and alternative proposal you can download one here. Please don’t forget to add your name and address to the letter before you send/email it!

Further information:

Hayle Town Council’s proposal is as follows:

“Two divisions be created based on a north/south divide following the railway line until it crosses the A30 and then north along the bypass and then up the old A30, thus creating ‘Hayle North and Gwithian’, a division based on Gwithian with part of Hayle, and ‘Hayle South and Gwinear’, Gwinear plus part of Hayle. The anticipated electorates are 5580 for the Hayle North division and 5429 for the Hayle South division.  This is based on the anticipated additional electorate in polling district CHS3 being included in the south division electorate and 154 electors from the CHS1 polling district being included in the north division.

The proposal reflects the existing position of Hayle North and Hayle South and the fact that Gwinear-Gwithian is already divided into two distinct (and in many ways functionally separate) wards.  The town council proposes building upon that existing situation and utilising the geographic, physical and community divisions that already exist. By using the railway line (which already largely divides the two Hayle divisions) and the old A30, which largely divides the two parts of Gwinear-Gwithian, we can a) establish two fairly equal divisions; b) create two practical areas that a member can represent; c) sustain community cohesion; d) not require the very large and impractical ‘rural’ division of the proposal which creates a large rural crescent surrounding a small urban centre; e) facilitate any future Governance review as the two existing parishes are maintained; and f) makes the split easy to deliver and easy to understand compared to the existing proposal from Cornwall Council officers.

Both Hayle Town and Gwinear-Gwithian Parish Council are already divided into wards on a North/South axis.   By taking one half of Gwinear-Gwithian and one half of Hayle to create two divisions is logical with a fair mix of country and town and creates divisions of a size that makes representation easy. It is fair and equitable to both councils. This proposal maintains the integrity of Parish Boundaries and this will assist any future Governance review. There is no threat to either the Parish or the Town from this proposal.  Using the Railway Line and the old A30 road as the divider makes it very clear who is where: it works extremely well in Hayle, where if you live on one side of the Railway Line you are in one division – the other side, the other. It is clear, practical and sensible and no one on either side doubts that they live in Hayle or are represented by Hayle Town Council.

Hayle Town Council’s preferred names for these divisions are Hayle North and Gwithian and Hayle South and Gwinear.”

If you would like to hear Laurence Reed’s interview with Councillor Polkinghorne, the Mayor of Hayle, on Radio Cornwall on 1 August, it is available until 29 August 2018 at the following link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06dgcfx . The interview starts at 27:32 minutes.

 

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