People do count

COUNCILLOR Norman Dingemans states that the Boundary Commission has totally ignored the representations from Walberton and Slindon and that Walberton has no links with Arundel (story, “A mixed reaction to boundary shake-up”, Gazette, February 28).

In my submission to the commission, I said that Fontwell (part of the Walberton ward) had always been regarded as one of the cluster of villages in the area and had common interests with them.

It has no common interests with Arundel.

In its report, the commission accepted the central argument that Arundel and Walberton were two separate communities without close links.

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However, in its summary the report states: “The commission considered evidence that suggested there would not be close community ties across all parts of its proposed three-member Arundel and Walberton ward. However, splitting the proposed ward into two parts would lead to high levels of electoral inequality in the Arundel area.”

It is clear, therefore, that a new ward stretching from Aldingbourne in the west to Poling in the east and from Lyminster in the south to Amberley station in the north has been proposed purely to achieve the statutory criteria on numbers, and not for the good of the residents in the rural/village areas.

Alan Allison

West Walberton Lane

Walberton

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