The Local Government Boundary Commission

 

Northwood Parish Council

A consultation on ward boundaries for Isle of Wight Council has begun 

 

Have your say now via our consultation portal

 

 

 

Today is the start of a 10-week public consultation, during which the Local Government Boundary Commission for England is inviting proposals for new warding arrangements for Isle of Wight Council.

The consultation will close on 9 July 2018.

After considering all representations made during this consultation, the Commission intends to publish draft recommendations in September 2018.

There will then be a further period of consultation on the draft recommendations. Final recommendations are expected to be published in January 2019.

The new electoral arrangements will come into effect at the local elections in May 2021.

If you represent a local organisation or community group on the Isle of Wight, please pass this message on to your members or anyone who you think might be interested in the review. You can share the message by email or through social media by using the buttons at the bottom right of the page.

 

What is an electoral review?

The electoral review will recommend new electoral arrangements for Isle of Wight Council. It will propose:

• the total number of councillors elected to the council in the future;
• the number of wards
• the number of councillors representing each ward;
• ward boundaries, and;
• the names of wards.

 

How to get involved

This is a public consultation and we welcome views from individuals and organisations from across the Isle of Wight on where they think new ward boundaries should be drawn.

The Commission is minded to recommend that 40 councillors should be elected to Isle of Wight Council in the future.

This is no change from the current number of councillors.

The Commission is now inviting proposals to help it draw up a pattern of wards to accommodate 40 councillors.

In drawing up a pattern of electoral wards, the Commission must balance three legal criteria, namely:

• to deliver electoral equality: where each councillor represents roughly the same number of electors as others across the Isle of Wight;
• that the pattern of wards should, as far as possible, reflect the interests and identities of local communities;
  that the electoral arrangements should provide for effective and convenient local government.

The Commission will treat all submissions equally, and judge each case on its merits and against the legal criteria.

If you wish to put forward a view, we would also urge you to ensure that evidence supports your submission. For example, if you wish to argue that two parishes should be included in the same electoral ward, make sure you tell the Commission why they should be together, providing evidence about community facilities, ties, organisations, and amenities, rather than simply asserting that they belong together.

There is more advice on our website about how you can get involved in the consultation.

Our website features technical guidance that explains the process and our policies, as well as guidance on how to take part in each part of the process.

We have also set up a webpage dedicated to the review of the Isle of Wight, where you can find all the relevant information.

You can also access interactive maps of the current ward boundaries across the Isle of Wight on our specialist consultation portal. The portal also allows you to draw your own boundaries, mark areas of interest on the map and upload documents directly to the site

Brown-tail moth caterpillars at Ventnor

IW Council Press Release

BROWN-TAIL MOTH CATERPILLARS

Sightings of Brown-tail moth caterpillars at Ventnor have been reported to the council.

Following the reports, the council has treated public sites such as the paddling pool in Ventnor to remove the creatures, whose hairs can break off as barbs, causing skin irritation and breathing difficulties.

“We are liaising with Ventnor Town Council to manage the annual influx of this particular young insect. I would remind the public that the hairs on brown-tail moth caterpillars can cause skin and eye irritation, particularly in children, so it is important to avoid handling them,” said Lee Matthews, recreation and public spaces manager at Isle of Wight Council.

“If you are unfortunate enough to be affected, you can expect a rash together with irritation similar to a severe nettle rash. Because the hairs can become airborne some people may experience symptoms affecting their eyes and breathing similar to hay fever.”

Normally this will give a few hours of localised discomfort. Washing the affected area with water and the application of calamine lotion on the skin may ease the itching. The hairs may also worsen symptoms of asthma for some people.

You should seek medical advice from your pharmacist or GP if symptoms do not settle down within a few hours.

The caterpillars become active in the spring. During March, caterpillars can be found in their winter tents. By April the caterpillars begin to emerge en masse from their tents and start to feed.

They gradually move further away from their winter tents during May until they become solitary. The creatures spin a cocoon and pupate, with adult moths emerging in July/August, ready to mate. Females lay eggs near the tip of shrub branches and then they spin a tent at the end of the shoots in readiness for winter.

FACT FILE 
Although the caterpillars prefer hawthorn and blackberry, they will eat leaves from any type of bush.
The creatures are between 7mm and 38mm in length (depending on age), dark brown in colour with a distinctive white line down each side; with the whole body covered in tufts of brown hairs and two distinct orange/red dots are noticeable on the caterpillars back towards the tail.
The insects have spiked and barbed hairs, which can penetrate skin, causing an irritant reaction.

END

Council to withdraw the Mobile Recycling Service

Isle of Wight Council Press Release 

COUNCIL TO WITHDRAW MOBILE RECYCLING SERVICE

Due to the lack of use the mobile recycling unit is to be withdrawn from service from 1 May 2018.

In the past the travelling centre, operated by Amey in partnership with the council, visited areas across the Island, where residents could dispose of harder to recycle items.

Between April to December 2017, a total of just 10.9 tonnes was deposited at the mobile centre - equivalent to six and a half times as heavy as an average car. This equates to under 0.03 per cent of the total waste for the Island.

“Ideally, we would like to keep the service running across the Island but that is not viable given the minimal number of residents that use the service, compared to the cost of running it,” said Councillor Michael Murwill, Cabinet member for waste management.

The closure of the service was approved at the Full Council budget meeting in February 2018 and was introduced as a result of reducing finances available to the council along with the need to protect core services for residents.

All of the items previously collected can be recycled at either Lynnbottom Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC), Newport or Afton Marsh HWRC, Freshwater.

TOP TIPS 
• Think before you throw as some items you are disposing of could go to a charity shop or be reused.
• Did you know the council offers a free reuse collection service for white goods and furniture in a good condition? Visit: www.iwight.com/waste 
• There is also a paid for bulky waste collection service for unreusable large white goods and furniture.
• Garden waste can be composted at home or the council offers a fortnightly kerbside garden waste service for just £60 per year (£1.15 per week).

END

Lynnbottom Recycling Centre, Newport

Isle of Wight Council Press Release

LYNNBOTTOM RECYCLING CENTRE TRAFFIC UPDATE

The council is taking measures to prevent queueing at Lynnbottom Recycling Centre, Newport.

The slip road, which has seen many residents queueing outside the recycling centre from 9am, causing disruption to traffic on Briddlesford Road, will be closed until the site opens at 10am.

This move means users will not be able to queue before this time and may be moved on by traffic enforcement. Once the recycling centre opens, the slip road will also open for access, which will enable vehicles to enter and queue in the normal way.

“Safety for residents on the highway network is paramount for the council and we again respectfully ask site users to avoid queueing at Lynnbottom before it opens at 10am. The queueing we have seen is affecting commuters travelling to work and creating the tailback we all wish to avoid. So my advice to people who wish to use the centre is to plan your arrival for after it opens. Data shows the congestion eases after 11.30am and is generally lightest after 3pm,” said Council leader, Councillor Dave Stewart.

“We recognise this is not an ideal situation but if people can be more flexible about when they go to the tip, we should be able to reduce delays and maintain safety.”

The traffic congestion has also been impacted by a ‘perfect storm’ of roadworks on a number of roads into Newport, causing drivers to use the route in from the Robin Hill roundabout, at the same time as the build-up of traffic wishing to access Lynnbottom Recycling Centre.

Councillor Michael Murwill, Cabinet member responsible for waste management, added: “The council have been monitoring the situation on a daily basis to identify the reasons for the traffic delays and as well as the recent road works and the normal annual increase in footfall for this period, the vehicles queuing from 9am on the slip road has added to the congestion in the general Downend area. The decision to stop cars from queuing until the site opens will help prevent possible accidents occurring.

“We are also looking at existing issues and how they can be resolved to improve traffic flow, such as the problem with vehicles turning right to go to the Brading Downs, at the Hare and Hounds traffic lights.”

Lynnbottom Recycling Centre is open seven days a week, between 10am and 6pm.

END

Possible Doorstep Scam

There are two men in a very smart van driving around Cowes selling ‘surplus’ teak garden furniture door to door. They claim that they’ve just delivered to a neighbour who suggested that they call round.

They have been quite persistent despite the fact that one resident concerned had no outdoor space other than a very small roof terrace. It is not suggested that they’re doing anything wrong but they had been seen to pass the local resident's premises several times.

The concern is that some older residents may find they are pressurised into making an unwanted purchase.

The police are aware, but be vigilant should you receive someone "cold calling".  

IW Council Press Release - Jobs on Offer at the new Forest Park Waste Site

JOBS ON OFFER AT NEW FOREST PARK WASTE SITE

The Isle of Wight Council is welcoming the creation of 50 new jobs at its new waste recovery site at Forest Park, Newport.

Isle of Wight Council Leader, Dave Stewart said: “This is really positive news – we are committed to regenerating our Island economy and showing that the Island is a great place to live and work. I hope the public come to Amey’s recruitment open day and get involved in this exciting project.”

Once the site is fully operational in 2019, it will be an important part of the council’s aim to divert 90 percent of waste away from landfill and recycle 55 percent of household waste by 2020.

The site will take kerbside domestic waste and will also be available for businesses and private waste carriers to dispose of their recycling and waste to avoid landfill.

Natasha Dix, council waste and recycling manager, said:”I am confident we are on course to our aim of leading the way in preventing non-essential waste being sent to landfill and to recycle all resources wherever possible. The mechanical treatment part of the site will see all dry recycling sorted and graded here on the Island, ready for market.”

The plant will also sort black bag waste, pulling out the lower quality recyclables, also for market, before converting up to 44,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste to fuel for the energy from waste part of the site. This is set to produce 23,000 megawatt hours of energy per year, once up and running – enough to provide energy for around 6000 homes.

“I welcome the great news about these new posts and would encourage job seekers to come along to the recruitment open day and find out more about becoming part of Amey’s team working to achieve zero non-essential waste to landfill. I am really excited to see that we are a step further to that aim,” said Councillor Michael Murwill, Cabinet member for waste management.

Amey, who are advertising the positions, is holding a recruitment open day at Newclose Cricket Ground between 12pm and 6pm on Thursday 3 May.

For further information on the posts, please visit Amey’s website at: www.amey.co.uk/isle-of-wight  

END

Cowes Accessibility Forum - 16 May