Warwick could lose in electoral carve up

But it is unclear who is to blame after proposals for a new Myton ward were not counted as part of the town in recommendations for new Warwick District Council divisions.

The new ward, represented by a single councillor, would run either side of Myton Road from Bridge End to Princes Drive. And although Warwick District Council leader Cllr Michael Doody insists he thinks of Myton as part of Warwick, it was originally to be merged with Bishop’s Tachbrook in plans drawn up by the authority’s chief executive and agreed by political leaders.

The Boundary Commission instead suggested the new ward because it felt Myton had no community links with Bishops Tachbrook - but included it in the section of its report headed ‘south Leamington’.

The issue was raised at Warwick Court Leet’s last meeting, but was too late to be formally discussed. Herald, Michael Honnoraty, of Myton Road, believes many will not readily yield up their Warwick identity.

He said: “We don’t want to be in Leamington. We are in Warwick and always have been. When Warwick was a town, Leamington wasn’t even a hamlet, so they can’t start claiming things like that.”

He said Myton Road, which includes Warwick School, has been under the control of Warwick Castle since before the 1500s, and the Black Book of Warwick contains a story of a riot at a tithe barn in Myton due to a dispute over the price of grain.

Court Leet constable John Atkinson, of Ashley Crescent, moved to Warwick in 1984 and is proud of his CV34 postcode. He said: “There’s no way I would wish to live in Leamington when I bought a house in Warwick.”

Town clerk Derek Maudlin predicted that if parish boundaries were redrawn, Warwick would lose council tax income, while Cllr Doody (Con, Radford Semele) said he was not happy with the Boundary Commission “putting their nose” into a good compromise.”

A spokesman for the Boundary Commission said, “This is an open consultation and we are encouraging local people to have their say whether they agree with our proposals or not.”

https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk