East Riding Boundary Referendum

What was the resultof the East Riding Boundary Referendum?

Voting for the East Riding Boundary Referendum took place by postal vote between 8 and 26 September 2014. The votes were counted on Monday 29 September 2014, the results of which are detailed below:

Question 1

Should the boundaries of Hull City Council be extended to include Anlaby, with Anlaby Common, Bilton, Cottingham, Elloughton cum Brough, Hedon, Hessle, Kirk Ella, North Ferriby, Preston, Swanland, Welton and Willerby? 

Question 2

There are green open spaces separating Hull from the surrounding towns and villages in the East Riding which your council has sought for many years to protect from being built upon. This is now being opposed by Hull City Council which wants to develop land it owns in these areas. Do you think Hull City Council should be allowed to build upon the land it owns in the green open spaces separating Hull and the towns and villages?

Total number of votes and turnout for Referendum

What were the results of the Boundary consultation?

Residents who lived in one of the parishes included in the referendum were only able to vote in the Referendum.

Residents in other parts of the East Riding could have their say by completing the consultation form that was included in the September 2014 edition of Your East Riding.

The results were:

Question 1

Question 2

What is the Boundary Referendum about?

The boundary between the City of Hull and the East Riding was settled as part of local government reorganisation in 1996. Proposals put forward by Hull City Council during that review for the extension of the City boundary to the west and to the east of the City were not accepted.

Hull City Council has now sought to re-open this debate.  On 20 March 2014, Hull City Council resolved to establish a commission of inquiry to examine the case for extending Hull City Council’s administrative boundaries.

As a consequence, at its full council meeting on 4 April 2014, East Riding of Yorkshire Council unanimously resolved that the Council would strongly resist any attempts by Hull City Council to expand its administrative boundaries into the East Riding and to hold a referendum on the East Riding's administrative boundary.

The referendum established the views of East Riding residents in a number of wards or parts of wards as to whether they wish to remain part of the East Riding or become part of an expanded city of Hull.  

What a referendum is

A referendum is a vote by citizens who are registered to vote on a question asked by the government. In this case, its purpose is to give residents the opportunity to voice their opinion and vote on whether or not to remain in the East Riding or become part of Hull.

Please note: this vote was to gauge public opinion only and no boundary change will be made as a direct result of the votes.

Potential outcomes of the referendum

The referendum demonstrated public opinion in respect of changes to the local government boundaries between Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council.  If necessary, this information will be provided to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to inform any review they may undertake, or any decision whether to undertake a review.  No changes to local government boundaries can take place unless there has been a review and the agreement of the Secretary of State. 

Which parishes were included and why?

The East Riding parishes that were proposed to become part of an extended city of Hull are:

• Anlaby with Anlaby Common
• Bilton
• Cottingham
• Elloughton cum Brough
• Hedon
• Hessle
• Kirk Ella
• North Ferriby
• Preston
• Swanland
• Welton
• Willerby
  

View a map of the parishes included in the boundary referendum below:

Map of parishes included in the boundary referendum (pdf 503kb)

The decision as to which parishes were included was the subject of much discussion; although Hull City Council has made clear its desire to re-open the debate regarding the boundaries of the city, no proposals have been made as to which areas of the East Riding the city council was suggesting should be absorbed into an expanded city.  

The parishes selected reflect those areas that had been put forward by the city council in 1996 for expansion of the boundaries of the city to the east and west. Office of National Statistics – Area Classifications (external website)

Were all East Riding residents eligible to vote?

Residents who live in one of the parishes included in the referendum and who are eligible to vote in local government elections could vote.

Residents in other parts of the East Riding could have their say by completing the consultation form that was included in the September 2014 edition of Your East Riding. 

View more information on Your East Riding.

Where can I get further information?

To stay up-to-date with the latest referendum news, you can follow us on twitter @East_Riding (external website) and 'like' the council facebook page (external website). 

If you have any further enquiries about the referendum please contact democratic services:

Tel: (01482) 393202 

What do residents think about council's services?

Earlier this year a telephone survey was carried out with 1,067 residents asking them to give their views about the local area and how people felt about the way the council provides services. The research was carried out by an independent research company. A summary of the results are available by clicking on the document below:

‘Have Your Say’ Residents’ Survey Results (pdf 219kb)

Where are the Hull City Council-owned green spaces in the East Riding?

Please open the map below to view green spaces owned by Hull City Council.

Map - Hull City Council-owned land in the East Riding (pdf 3mb)