Thanet draft recommendations
Explore our draft recommendations for new wards in Thanet
LGBCE
The Commission has published draft recommendations for new wards in Thanet.
This map displays our proposals. Scroll down to find out how we arrived at these recommendations.
Click on the layers on the list in the bottom right hand corner of this map to switch between the different boundaries.
West Thanet
Birchington East and Birchington West
Margate
Cliftonville East, Cliftonville West, Dane Valley, Margate Central & Westbrook East and Salmestone
Broadstairs & St Peter's
Broadstairs North, Broadstairs South and St Peter’s
Ramsgate
Newington & Northwood
West Thanet
Birchington East and Birchington West
39 We received three submissions with regards to Birchington parish. Two of these – from Labour and from a resident – advised against splitting the parish between wards. The Labour scheme proposed four councillors represent the area but did not propose a specific warding pattern. The Conservative scheme proposed a two-councillor Birchington & Westgate Coastal ward composed of the existing Birchington North ward, plus the area of Westgate-on-Sea parish north of the railway line. This would result in a ward with an electoral variance of 7% by 2030.
40 The Conservative scheme also proposed a two-councillor Birchington East ward made up of the existing Birchington South ward minus the rural area beyond Canterbury Road, Mill Lane/Mill Row and Essex Gardens, which would instead be allocated to a single-councillor Thanet Little Villages ward. While this ward would have good electoral equality, with a forecast electoral variance of 5% by 2030, the proposal appears to discount a large housing development planned in the area, which is expected to see 1,280 new electors spread across the boundaries of these proposed Birchington East and Thanet Little Villages wards. This would have the effect of mixing rural and urban overspill populations in the Thanet Little Villages ward but, were the development to be wholly included in Birchington East ward, this would result in a 24% variance there and -35% in Thanet Little Villages ward. We also agree with the Labour and resident submissions that the parish boundaries of Birchington should be respected, so have therefore not adopted this proposal in our draft recommendations.
41 We attempted to modify the existing boundaries of Birchington North and Birchington South – which will have variances of 26% and 21%, respectively, by 2030 under a 42-councillor scheme – but were unable to do so while balancing our statutory criteria. Having toured the area we also attempted to create a boundary around Canterbury Road, which appeared to us as a potentially strong and identifiable boundary. However, we were unable to produce wards with good electoral equality. We have instead drawn the boundary along Acol Hill, Park Lane, Station Road, the railway line and Minnis Road, keeping both sides of the respective roads in a two-councillor Birchington West ward, with the remainder of the parish in a two-councillor Birchington East ward. On our tour, we observed that these roads serve as one of the main arteries through the parish, with Station Road serving as its main shopping precinct, thus providing for clearly identifiable boundaries. Our proposed Birchington East and Birchington West wards will have variances of -10% and -6% by 2030, respectively.
Garlinge and Westgate-on-Sea & Westbrook West
42 The Conservative scheme in this area proposed wards which we calculate will have high electoral inequality by 2030. This included a single-councillor Westgate South ward made up of Westgate-on-Sea parish south of the railway line with a variance of 37%, a two-councillor Dent-de-Lion & Westbrook West made up of the existing Garlinge ward west of High Street and the existing Westbrook ward west of Old Crossing Road and Pembroke Avenue with a variance of -33%, and two-councillor Hartsdown ward, made up of the remainder of the existing Garlinge ward and the existing Salmestone ward west of Tivoli Road and Manston Road, with a variance of -24%. We consider that these variances are too high to accept, so we have therefore not adopted these proposals.
43 The Labour scheme also included high electoral equality in two of its three proposed wards, albeit to a lesser degree. The scheme proposed maintaining the existing Westgate-on-Sea ward under two councillors, which will produce a variance of 12% by 2030, as well as the existing Garlinge ward with its two councillors minus the proposed Shottendane housing development, which will have a variance of -8%. It also proposed a single-councillor Westbrook ward, made up of the existing ward west of Westcliff Gardens, with a variance of -25%.
44 We have adopted the Labour proposals for Garlinge ward in our draft recommendations. To address the high electoral inequality in Labour’s proposed Westgate-on-Sea and Westbrook wards we have combined them into one three-councillor Westgate-on-Sea & Westbrook West ward with an electoral variance of 0% by 2030. As well as possessing excellent electoral equality, this proposed ward also satisfies the requests of three residents that several streets, including Chester Road, Essex Road, Hockeredge Gardens and Queen’s Road, be included in a ward with Westgate-on-Sea, as they stated residents there identify with the town. Based on these submissions, we consider our proposed Westgate-on-Sea & Westbrook West ward will effectively reflect community identities and interests.
Thanet Villages and Westwood Cross
45 The Conservative scheme proposed three wards in this area. This included a single-councillor Thanet Little Villages ward made up of the parishes of St Nicholas-at-Wade, Sarre and Monkton west of Barrow Man Road/Seamark Road and south of the A299, as well as the area of Birchington parish discussed above, which would have a variance of -4% by 2030. Additionally, a two-councillor Acol & Manston ward with a variance of -10% would be made up of Acol and Manston parishes plus the remainder of Monkton parish and Minster parish north of the A299, and a two-councillor Minster & Cliffsend ward with a variance of -14% would be made up of Cliffsend parish and Minster parish south of the A299.
46 While we note that most of the proposed wards would have good electoral equality, the division of Monkton parish between two wards would require us to create a parish ward with only 25 electors, which would not be conducive to effective and convenient local government.
47 The Labour scheme proposed a single-councillor Thanet Villages ward made up of the existing ward minus Minster parish and the areas of Manston parish with large residential developments. We calculated this ward would have a variance of -58% by 2030. The scheme also proposed a two-councillor Cliffsend & Minster ward made up of those two parishes, which we calculate will have a variance of 25% by 2030, and a single-councillor Westwood Cross ward made up of new developments in that area, with a variance of 2%.
48 In considering our proposals for this area, we were assisted by several submissions from residents, parish councillors and parish councils. Minster Parish Council and a resident supported the continuation of a three-councillor Thanet Villages ward, stating it effectively represents the concerns of all rural parishes on Thanet District Council. A resident also wrote to say that Minster parish should be wholly contained within a single ward due to its importance to the village. Councillor Chapman of Cliffsend Parish Council wrote to support the inclusion of the parish in a ward with other rural villages, rather than with part of Ramsgate, as at present, and we note that both the Labour and Conservative schemes satisfy this. Three residents also wrote to support the creation of a Westwood Cross ward to better represent the large number of new residents in the area. One proposed a ward which would include all of the existing Northwood ward west of Newington Road, as well as all of Manston parish east of Manston Road. This could form the basis of a two-councillor ward with a variance of 10% by 2030, but includes the village of Manston itself, which we do not envisage would wish to be included in an urban ward.
49 After careful consideration, we deem the area to be best served by a three-councillor Thanet Villages ward made up of the existing ward with the addition of Cliffsend parish, minus the large housing developments in Manston parish, which would instead form a single-councillor Westwood Cross ward, as well as Valley Road and Bradgate Holiday Park. These wards will have variances of 3% and 6%, respectively.
Margate
Cliftonville East, Cliftonville West, Dane Valley, Margate Central & Westbrook East and Salmestone
50 The Conservative and Labour schemes proposed broadly similar wards in Margate, based largely on the existing boundaries. The Labour scheme expanded Margate Central westward to the boundary of its proposed Westbrook ward, while adding Addington Road, Dane Park Road, Park Lane and Thanet Road to Cliftonville West ward. Their Cliftonville East and Dane Valley wards were unchanged while, as alluded to in paragraph 43, the Shottendane housing development was added to Salmestone. All these wards would have two councillors and good electoral equality by 2030.
51 The Conservative scheme differed from Labour’s in that the area of the existing Margate Central ward east of Victoria Road was added to a truncated Salmestone ward (see paragraph 42), the area of the existing Cliftonville West ward west of Bath Road and south of Dane Road was added to a Westbrook East & Margate ward, and the remainder of the existing Westbrook ward. These proposed two-councillor wards would also have good electoral equality by 2030.
52 While we consider that both schemes in this area satisfy our three statutory criteria, we have adopted the Labour proposals in our draft recommendations as a direct consequence of our recommendations in the west of Thanet. We also consider that the Labour scheme better satisfies the criteria of community identity in Salmestone which, in the Conservative scheme, we consider to be arbitrarily divided between wards in the west.
Broadstairs & St Peter's
Broadstairs North, Broadstairs South and St Peter’s
53 The Labour scheme made relatively minor changes to the wards in Broadstairs & St Peter’s parish, truncating Beacon Road into a single-councillor ward with Beacon Road itself as its eastern boundary, and combining Bradstowe and Kingsgate wards into a single two-councillor ward. These wards would have variances of -10% and -13% by 2030, respectively, while an unchanged Viking ward would have a variance of 7% under two councillors.
54 The Conservative scheme also maintained the boundaries of the existing Viking ward and combined Bradstowe and Kingsgate wards, each being assigned two councillors, but also combined the existing Beacon Road ward with the existing St Peter’s ward north of Dane Court Road to create a two-councillor St Peter’s ward, with the remainder forming a single-councillor Bromstone ward. The Conservatives’ submission stated that their proposed St Peter’s ward better represents the actual St Peter’s area, stating Beacon Road is known locally as ‘the St Peter’s estate’, also noting the naming of St Peter’s Recreation Ground. However, while the other proposed wards would have good electoral equality by 2030, we calculated this proposed St Peter’s ward would have a variance of 19%.
55 We noted some dissatisfaction with the existing boundaries in the submissions from residents. One noted that the Viking ward ‘does not feel like a particularly distinctive area and has no obvious central focus’, while another argued the existing five wards could be reduced to three. The resident also criticised the boundary between Bradstowe and Viking as ‘illogical’ due to it dividing central Broadstairs, and we note that the boundary runs down the middle of the High Street shopping precinct. This resident suggested that the existing Viking and Bradstowe wards could be combined into a ‘Broadstairs Central’ ward, while Beacon Road and Kingsgate could be combined into a ‘Broadstairs North’ ward. These wards would have variances of -2% and 12% under two and three councillors, respectively.
56 In considering our recommendations for this area, we concluded that the available evidence did not support the creation of single-member wards, owing to the highly integrated settlements in the parish, from which neither stands apart. We also consider that the railway line, which is partially utilised in the existing boundaries and the Conservative and Labour schemes, forms a clearly identifiable and effective boundary throughout the parish. We have therefore added the existing Viking ward west of the railway line to St Peter’s, forming a three-councillor ward with a variance of 4% by 2030. To the remainder of Viking ward, we have added the area south of Lanthorne Road, Lanthorne Place and Newmans Close to form a two-councillor Broadstairs South ward with a variance of 10%. The remainder of the existing Bradstowe ward has been added to Beacon Road and Kingsgate wards to form a two-councillor Broadstairs North ward with a variance of 4%.
Ramsgate
Newington & Northwood
57 The Conservative scheme in this area is based on the existing ward boundaries but transfers the area of the current Northwood ward west of Newington Road into a Newington ward. However, due to the large number of new developments being built in this area, this results in a variance of 20% for Newington ward by 2030 and -27% in Northwood ward, which they renamed Viaduct. Maintaining the existing boundaries would instead produce variances of -14% and 7%, respectively. However, as noted in the Conservative submission, the new developments are joined to the Newington estate in the south via Haine Road, and Jackey Baker’s Recreation Ground is well used by local children. We also note that Newington Library is in this area and should ideally be part of Newington ward.
58 We considered the Labour submission to be unclear in describing its proposed wards in this area and this was not illustrated with a map. The submission proposed maintaining the boundaries of the existing Northwood ward except for Beerlings Farm Road, Coldswood Road, Haine Farm Mews, Haine Road and Hawthorne Grange, which would be added to Newington ward. It also described adding to Newington ward a planned housing development off Haine Road in the existing Thanet Villages ward, which we have taken to be the Manston Green development, though there are several other planned developments in the area which have not been assigned. However, our best estimate puts the variances of the two-councillor Newington ward at -3% and the two-councillor Northwood ward at 1%. Assuming we have interpreted the proposed ward correctly, however, Northwood ward is left with a promontory travelling north along Haine Road which we do not consider to be conducive to effective and convenient local government or local identity.
59 Our draft recommendations most closely resemble the Conservative proposals. However, in order to improve electoral equality, we have included the area between Newington Road and Jackey Baker’s Recreation Ground in Northwood ward, as well as Lancaster Close, Chichester Road, Surrey Close, Windmill Walk and Ramsgate Arts Primary School. We have also used the full length of the railway as the southern boundary of Newington ward, as we note that the existing boundary used by the Conservatives excludes several sites associated with the St Lawrence area from St Lawrence & Pegwell ward, including St Lawrence Industrial Estate, St Laurence-in-Thanet Church of England Junior Academy and St. Laurence-in-Thanet Church. Our two-councillor Newington and Northwood wards will both have variances of -6%.
Granville, Ramsgate Harbour, St Lawrence & Pegwell and St Luke’s & Dumpton
60 The Labour scheme in this area proposed five wards with two councillors each. This included a Nethercourt & Southwood ward with a variance of -13% which was similar to the existing Nethercourt ward, but with the northern boundary extending along the railway line and the southern boundary continuing along London Road to Grange Road. The scheme also proposed a Westcliff ward with a variance of 19%, which was made up of the remainder of the existing Cliffsend & Pegwell ward minus Cliffsend parish, plus the existing Central Harbour ward south of Park Road and High Street.
61 In addition, the Labour scheme included a Sir Moses Montefiore ward with a variance of 7%, expanded to include most of the existing Eastcliff ward south of King Street but excluding Wellesley Court, Alma Place, King’s Place, Hereson Road, Montefiore Cottages, Albion Hill, Albion Place, Albion Mews, Albion Court, Kent Place, Kent Terrace and Harbour Parade. A Ramsgate Central ward with a variance of -6% was made up of the remainder of the existing Eastcliff and Central Harbour wards.
62 The Conservative scheme in this area proposed four wards with two councillors each. This included a St Lawrence & Pegwell ward with a variance of 14% made up of the existing Cliffsend & Pegwell ward, minus Cliffsend parish, and the existing Nethercourt ward, as well as a Ramsgate Harbour ward with a variance of -5%, made up of the existing Central Harbour ward south of Park Road. The scheme also included a Granville ward made up of the existing Sir Moses Montefiore ward east of Hereson Road and the existing Eastcliff ward south of Boundary Road. This ward would have a variance of -11% under 42 councillors but -9% under 43, as in the complete Conservative scheme. A St Luke’s & Dumpton ward with a variance of 5% was made up of the remainder of the existing Sir Moses Montefiore, Eastcliff and Central Harbour wards.
63 A resident also submitted a warding scheme for Ramsgate which included three-councillor wards for Newington & Northwood and St Luke’s & Hereson and two-member wards for St Lawrence & Pegwell, Royal Harbour and East Cliff Montefiore. The scheme was broadly similar to the Conservatives’, though the submission did not provide a detailed description of boundaries and included a map which in many cases lacked clear boundaries. The resident’s St Lawrence & Pegwell ward also notably included Cliffsend parish.
64 In drawing up our draft recommendations for this area, we had to consider that both the Conservative and Labour schemes contained wards with high electoral equality. In the Labour scheme, we were able to achieve good electoral equality by extending the eastern boundary of Nethercourt & Southwood to Crescent Road. However, this only served to exaggerate the unusual shape of Westcliff ward while also dividing another of the main roads through the two wards, the others being London Road and Pegwell Road. We also considered that the boundary between Labour’s proposed Sir Moses Montefiore and Ramsgate Central wards was not clear and identifiable.
65 We therefore based our draft recommendations on the Conservative scheme, which we considered to have used consistently clear boundaries throughout. However, addressing the 14% and -11% variances in St Lawrence & Pegwell and Granville wards, respectively, meant we made changes to all four wards. As mentioned in paragraph 59, we extended the northern boundary of St Lawrence & Pegwell ward along the length of the railway line. We also included Bloomsbury Road, the north side of Edith Road, Ellington Infant School, Ellington Place, The Grange, Lorne Road, Mays Road, Napleton Road north of Edith Road and Southwood Road in Ramsgate Harbour ward, most of which are accessed from Grange Road and do not directly join with the rest of St Lawrence & Pegwell ward. This changes the variances of St Lawrence & Pegwell and Ramsgate Harbour wards to 7% and 6% by 2030, respectively.
66 To improve the -11% variance in Granville ward, we have extended the western boundary from Hereson Road to the edge of Ramsgate Cemetery, including Cecilia Road and Lillian Road, which results in a 5% variance for the ward and -11% for St Luke’s & Dumpton. To improve the level of electoral equality for St Luke’s & Dumpton ward, we have extended the southern boundary from Boundary Road to High Street, taking in Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School. This results in a -3% variance for the ward and further improves the variances of Granville and Ramsgate Harbour to 2% and 1%, respectively.
67 We have adopted the Conservatives’ proposed ward names in our draft recommendations but would welcome feedback on these choices and whether some of the other proposed ward names would be more appropriate. We would particularly welcome views on the resident’s proposed name of ‘Royal Harbour’ for our proposed Ramsgate Harbour ward, which highlights its status as the only royal harbour in the country, and over the continued use of ‘Sir Moses Montefiore’ for our proposed Granville ward, or variants thereof, such as the resident’s proposed ‘East Cliff & Montefiore’.