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West Windsor Residents Association
To promote the interests and well-being of West Windsor residents
WWRA Submission to the Boundary Commission Review 04122017 V2.docx Page 1 of 7
4thDecember2017LocalGovernmentBoundaryCommissionforEngland14thFloorMillbankTowerMillbankLondonSW1P4QPreviews@lgbce.org.uk MrKevinChapman, Chair,
WestWindsorResidentsAssociation,
DearSir/Madam,SubmissionofWestWindsorResidentsAssociation(WWRA)ElectoralreviewofWindsorandMaidenheadPreambleThisisawrittenresponsebytheWestWindsorResidentsAssociation(WWRA)totheElectoralreviewofWindsorandMaidenheadThisisawrittenresponseonbehalfoftheWestWindsorResidentsAssociation(WWRA),anorganisationwith1,000memberhouseholds,whoseaimistopromotetheinterestsandwellbeingofWestWindsorresidentswhomwehavebeenservingformorethan50years.MembershipoftheWWRAisonahouseholdbasisandisopentoallresidentsofClewerWards(North,EastandSouth)andParkWard,intheRoyalBoroughofWindsorandMaidenhead,thatlietothewestofthemaintrunkroute,A332/B3173/B3022,thatlinkJunction6ontheM4withLegoLand.Inotherwords,itcoversthehistoriccommunitiesofDedworth,ClewerandthenewercommunitiestotheWestofthesetwoancientsettlementsandincludesTheWillows,TheLaingEstate,TheLimes,BroomFarmandSt.LeonardsHillandLEGOLAND.However,morethan95%ofourmembershipcomesfromtheboundariesofDedworthasnotedbelow.Whatisourcommunity?1. ProposalforwardsinWestWindsor
a. Dedworthhasagreaterlevelofpopulation,isquitedistinctandmorediversefromtheaffluentClewers;residentsfromeachareadrawtheir
West Windsor Residents Association
To promote the interests and well-being of West Windsor residents
WWRA Submission to the Boundary Commission Review 04122017 V2.docx Page 2 of 7
socialidentityandrangesofservicesfromseparatefacilities,includingschools,mainlyonlysharingtheTownCentreascommonground;theirsocio-economicdescriptorsalsoaredistinctlydifferent
b. Dedworthi. TotheEast–residentson,oronroadsoff,SawyersCloseandVale
Roadii. TotheSouth-ClewerHill(uptoDuncroft&PerryCroft)andupto
PoolmansRoadiii. TotheWest–BroomFarmEstate,TheLimes,Ruddlesway,The
Willowsiv. TotheNorth–WindsorRacecourse
c. Clewer-St.Leonards(2members)i. Includingallresidentson,oremanatingfromMillLane,Parsonage
Lane,HatchLane,St.LeonardsHillii. MoreexpensiveareastotheSouthi.e.iii. TheareasconnectedbypathtoSt.LeonardsHillincluding
1. TopofWolfLanefromjunctionwithPoolmansRoadtojunctionwithWhiteHorseRoadandTinkersLane
2. HemwoodRoad,FranklynClose&WashingtonDriveandroadsoffthese
3. EllisonClose4. KimberClose5. SherbourneDrive6. WoodlandAvenue7. BottomendofClewerHillRoadbetweenPrinceAlbertpub
andthejunctionsofHatchLaneandEllisonDrive.8. IncludingALLoftheLEGOLAND,Windsorestate,which
wouldbelogical,easegovernanceand,whichpeopleandresidentsidentifywithWindsor.
d. Thebenefitswouldbei. Clearidentityii. Generatingrepresentativesfromeachareawhowillunderstand
thedistinctneedsandissuesoftheirresidents,beingabletofocusrelevantissues,includingtheimpactoftheproposedexpansionanddevelopmentontheedgeofsettlementknownasHA11
iii. Allowingrepresentationinanundilutedmanner,inproportiontotheneed(number)
iv. Encouraginglocalismandcommunityinvolvement;withacommunitytakingownershipofitsowngovernanceinthedecisionmakingprocess
2. HistoryofWestWindsora. AncientmapsshowtwocommunitiesWestoftheCastle
i. ClewerVillage,withtheoldestbuildingintheareainSt.Andrew’sCofEChurch–itevenpre-datesmuchofWindsorCastle
West Windsor Residents Association
To promote the interests and well-being of West Windsor residents
WWRA Submission to the Boundary Commission Review 04122017 V2.docx Page 3 of 7
ii. Dedworthiii. AreasofgreenbeltinbetweenandtotheSouth
b. Seeattachedmapsi. Dedworth.Org.UkMapofDedworth1880ii. Dedworth.Org.UkMapofDedworth1913iii. Dedworth.Org.UkMapofDedworth1938iv. VisionofBritainDedworthC19thMap
c. Thesetwocommunitiesareeffectively,andhistorically,servedbySt.Andrew’sChurch(Clewer)andAllSaintsChurch(Dedworth)
3. WestWindsortodaya. ThepopulationofWindsorexpandedinthe1950’sand1960’swithmany
estatesstartingtobebuilttotheWest(e.g.LaingEstate),itwasduringthistimetheWWRAwasestablishedasthegrowingsettlementinthisareasawitselfasdistinctfromWindsortowncentre,withitsowncommunityandidentity.AsfurtherexpansiontothesouthofDedworthRoadcontinuedwiththeDeansdevelopmentandtheMODhousinginthe1970stheseresidentswerealsoseenaspartofthiscommunity.Historicallythemilitaryfamilieshavebeentransit,butnowwithnewgovernmentpolicythesefamilieswillremainaspernementresidentsforthedurationofservice,andastheyaccessthesameservicesastherestofthecommunityshouldbeconsideredavaluedpartofthiscommunityknownasDedworth
b. CO’swereresidentonmuchlargerresidencesonSt.Leonard’sHill4. Communityassets,whoseusagereflecttheembeddedidentitiesinclude
a. Churches–seeabovei. AllSaintsChurchservingDedworthii. St.AndrewsservingClewerandprobablySt.LeonardsHilliii. AllSaintsChurch’scongregationalsoincludepeoplefromSawyers
CloseandValeRoadb. Schools
i. Dedworth1. DedworthGreenFirstSchool2. DedworthGreenMiddleSchool3. HomerFirstSchoolandNursery4. HilltopFirstSchool5. AlexanderFirst
ii. Clewer1. ClewerGreenCESchool2. StEdward'sCatholicFirstSchool3. StEdward'sCatholicMiddleSchool
c. Surgeryi. ThereisjustonesurgeryinDedworth,theDedworthMedical
CentreonValeRoad
West Windsor Residents Association
To promote the interests and well-being of West Windsor residents
WWRA Submission to the Boundary Commission Review 04122017 V2.docx Page 4 of 7
ii. TheirCCGBoundarymapofficiallyincludesalloftheWestWindsorResidentsAssociationmembershiparea
d. YouthCentres–therearetwo,servingdistinctareasi. ManorYouthCentreservingDedworthincludingSawyersClose
andValueRoad.TheproposedboundarychangewouldputbothyouthcentreintotheDedworthandClewerEastwardtakingallgovernanceawayfrommanyusergroups.
ii. ClewerYouth&CommunityCentre,servingtheClewerareae. Pubs
i. Dedworth1. TheBlackHorse2. Sebastapol
ii. Clewer1. PrinceAlbert2. TheSwan,nowcloseddown
f. Shops/Tescoi. Dedworth
1. TescoSuperstore2. EssoGarage3. CharityShops4. Newsagents,5. ConvenienceShops6. FastFood&otherrestaurants
ii. Clewer1. TescoExpress2. ShellGarage3. SmallParadeofshopsneartheShellGarageonClarence
Road.4. BPGarage
5. 2011CensusdataofWestWindsora. Mapsbasedon2011Censusdatashowastrongcorrelationbetweenthe
identityofpeopleinthegeographicareasIhaveidentifiedasDedworthorClewer-St.Leonardsandsuchsocio-economicfactors
b. Seeattachedmapsfromi. ONS2011CensusDataShineMaponDeprivationii. ONS2011CensusDataShineMaponFairHealthiii. ONS2011CensusDataShineMaponGoodHealthiv. ONS2011CensusDataShineMaponQualificationsv. ONS2011CensusDataShineMaponProfessionals
ConcernsaboutreducingthenumberofCouncillors1. WewouldsupportminimizingthereductiontothenumberofCouncillorsatno
lessthan47toensurethatthechancesofgoodrepresentationandscrutinyismaximized.
West Windsor Residents Association
To promote the interests and well-being of West Windsor residents
WWRA Submission to the Boundary Commission Review 04122017 V2.docx Page 5 of 7
2. Ourelectedmemberofcouncilreportsbacktousthathiscaseloadisextremelyhigh,andoftenhinderedbylackofresponsefromofficers,“OfficersupportcapacityislargelylimitedtoservicingtheCommitteeswithpapers,whicharefrequentlynotastimelyastheyshouldbe.Theprescribedtimescalesareonoccasion(approximately10%ofthetimein2017),notmet,leavingthecouncilexposedtorisk,whichofficersareawareof,andneedscorrectingtomeetstatutorytimescales.”(LGACorporatePeerChallengeSept2017)bearingthisinminditwouldbeprefabletohaveawardthatreflectsacommunitythatdoesnotcontainpolaropposites.
3. LGAPeerReviewReporthasbeencriticalofgovernanceandscrutinyintheBoroughand,thisneedstoberesolvedbeforefurtherchangesthreateningscrutinyareconsidered
a. RBWMispushingforwardwithmanyoutsourcingprogramsincludedviamorecomplexJointVentures,whichhaveseparatelegalpersonasi.e.reduceinfluence,informationflowand,moreconvolutedandtimeconsumingmanagementandcontrolpathways
b. TherecentLGAPeerReviewsuggestedthatinthefaceofthisrapidchangethattheBoroughPauses,Embeds(anddigestschanges)andExplains(engageswithresidents)
c. Furtherchangeinthefaceofhelpfulcriticismtheextentoftheproblemsincluding
i. “Thecouncil’sgovernanceisoutofdate”ii. “Wewereconcernedtoseeevidenceof…disproportionateand
uneventreatmentbyseniorcolleagues,ofbothmembersandofficers…(using)…heavyhandedinstrumenttokeep‘membersandofficersincheck’.”
iii. Aneed,“toclarifylinesofaccountability”iv. “LinesbetweentheExecutiveandscrutiny(are)blurred”v. “Scrutinynotrealisingitspotential”–howpolite.vi. “Officersupportcapacityislargelylimited…leavingthecouncil
exposedtorisk”vii. “Businessesnotfeelingvaluedasapartner”viii. Questionstheability,“todeliveronitscapitalprogrammeand
regenerationplans.”ix. Asksthecouncil“tocarefullyplanfortheprovisionofanyfuture
transformationcosts”x. Notesa“needtoinvestmoretimeandcapacityinequippingyour
organization”xi. EarnestlyurgestheCouncilto“Investmoretimeinunderstanding
whatyourresidentsvalue”&”engagepositivelywithresidentsandcommunitygroups.”
d. Youcandownloadthefullreportathttp://www.wwra.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/RBWM-Corporate-Peer-Review-Sep-2017.pdf
4. EffectonresidentsofCouncillorworkload&lackofsupportfromofficers
West Windsor Residents Association
To promote the interests and well-being of West Windsor residents
WWRA Submission to the Boundary Commission Review 04122017 V2.docx Page 6 of 7
a. Currently,ourexperienceofcommunicationwithConservativeCouncillorsisthat;
i. ItisverydifficulttogetsomeCouncillorstoreplytoresidentsii. Moreoftenthannotafterthe10workingdaysperiodhaspast
youhavetochasethemup.b. Weunderstandthattheworkloadonofficersisalreadyveryhigh,witha
highstaffturnoverc. WeareconcernedthatthatwithfewerCouncillors,withlowlevelsof
supportfromofficers,thatengagementbetweenCouncillorsadresidentswillbeintolerable.
5. Illogicalwardsdestroycommunitiesa. RequiringfewerCouncillorsmeansthatboundarieshavetoberecastto
sometimesincludewardsthatincludemanydistinctlydifferentcommunitieswhich
i. Thishampereffectiverepresentationofindividualcommunities,andsodemocracy,
b. Thisfrustratelocalismas,aresidentfromonecommunitywillnotunderstand,orberecognizedandvotedforbyothercommunities
c. Thisfurtherdistancesthepeoplewearesupposedtorepresentfromtheprocessofgovernance.
ConcernsabouttheunderlyingfiguresbeingprovidedbyRBWM1. Giventhatelectoralnumbersarelikelytomateriallyunreliableuntil2023,the
exerciseshouldbeabandonedandrevisitedafter20192. Theprincipleofelectoralequalitycanonlybeachievedifthefiguresforresident,
andvoternumbers,areaccuratebut,thefiguresbeingpresentedbyRBWMareincomplete,inaccurateandspeculative
3. TheBoroughLocalPlan,uponwhichmuchofthegrowthispredicatedisflawedinmanyaspectsandfacingseriouschallenge.
a. ItislikelythattheInspectorwillrequiresubstantialrevisionsb. Giventhethousandsofcommentsfromordinaryresidents,whichneed
organizing,thiswillnotbepresentedtotheInspectoruntilQ1orQ2in2018whichwillextendthetimelineofimplementation
c. ItispossiblethatafinalLocalPlan,ifamendmentsarerequested,willnotbestarttoimplementeduntil2023,aftermodificationshavetakenplace,applicationssubmittedand,buildingcommences.
d. Thiswouldsuggestthatreliablefiguresmightnotbeavailableuntilthenwhichwouldmeanmapscouldnotbere-considereduntil2023
4. Missingplanningapplicationsanddevelopments:therearemanysubstantialdevelopmentswhichseemnottohavebeenincludedinthegrowthincluding
a. Teradyneflatsb. SquashClubretirementhomesc. SandownHouse
West Windsor Residents Association
To promote the interests and well-being of West Windsor residents
WWRA Submission to the Boundary Commission Review 04122017 V2.docx Page 7 of 7
d. Itislikelytha5. Inconclusion,wesuggestthat;
a. Youdelaythewardchangesuntil2023attheearliestb. StipulatethatamorethoroughsetofresearchbeconductedbyRBWM
Shortterminequalities1. Whatevertheiraccuracy,the2017and2019figurespresentedwillbe
substantiallydifferentfrom2023whichwillresultinelectoralinequalitiesatleastbetween2019and2023
2. Theseinequalitieswillbeexacerbatedifa. Boundariesdonotrepresentcommunitiesb. Theactualdevelopmentprofileoftheseareasismateriallydifferentfrom
thefiguresbeingpresentedbytheCouncil3. However,thiscanbemitigatedifthenumberofCouncillorsremainsthesameof
differslittleinWindsor4. Toensureequality,identityandeffectivelocalgovernance,wesuggestthatthis
exerciseshouldberevisitedfromfirstprinciplesafter2019Summary1. WeproposetwowardstocoverWestWindsor;Dedworth;Clewer&St.Leonards
Hill2. WewouldsupportminimizingthereductiontothenumberofCouncillorsatno
lessthan47toensurethatthechancesofgoodrepresentationandscrutinyismaximized.
3. Wesuggestthat;a. Youdelaywardchangesuntil2023attheearliestb. StipulatethatamorethoroughsetofresearchbeconductedbyRBWM
4. Wesuggestthatthisexerciseshouldberevisitedfromfirstprinciplesafter2019Yoursfaithfully,Forandonbehalfofthe1,000householdmembersoftheWWRA
MrKevinChapmanEngTech,MICE,MCMI,MIHIE,MCIWMChair,WestWindsorResidentsAssociation