§ Mr. Meadowcroftasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by population size those district councils whose revised electoral arrangements had been submitted to his Department within the required time scale, but for whom the necessary review orders have yet to be made; when he expects to sign those orders currently outstanding; and whether all such orders will be made and delivered by 6 March to enable the local elections in those authorities to be held under the new arrangements.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe table shows the eight districts in respect of which we have received reports from the local government boundary commissions and have not yet made electoral arrangements orders.
All the reports were submitted in November or December last year. Because of the amount of administrative effort entailed in considering reports and preparing orders, where a report is received late in the year it may not be possible to make the necessary order in time for the local elections the following May.
Priority is being given to the implementation of the reports on the Welsh districts, where the new orders will replace arrangements made in 1973. We expect to make orders for Dinefwr and Preseli shortly, and we hope to make an order for Montgomeryshire by 6 March. An order was made in respect of Carmarthen on 11 February.
The reports in respect of the English districts are being considered in order of receipt. We hope it will be possible to make orders by 6 March in respect of the first three reports received (relating to South Ribble, Kingswood and Chelmsford); but there will not be enough time to implement the Commissions' reports on Blyth Valley and Warrington before the May elections. The local authorities concerned have been informed.
District council Population1 Date report submitted Warrington 177,500 17 December 1986 Chelmsford 147,900 2 December 1986 South Ribble 99,200 1 December 1986 Kingswood 87,900 2 December 1986 Blyth Valley 78,000 11 December 1986 Preseli 70,300 4 December 1986 Montgomeryshire 48,900 18 December 1986 Dinefwr 37,100 27 November 1986 1 Registrar-General's mid-1985 estimates.