Thread by @RichGreenhill

There is an island off the coast of Wales that the Government forgot

For centuries, most local government in England and Wales was necessarily provided by the only ubiquitous* local authority: the Church of England – though its parish councils, or “vestries” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestry

*Nearly ubiquitious: a few places were not part of any parish: extra-parochial areas en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra-par… (cf royal peculiars: parishes outside of any bishop’s diocese en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Pec…)

By 1894, the union of church and local government was untenable. So ecclesiastical parishes (nowadays governed by parochial church councils) were made distinct from civil parishes (with new elected parish councils), ancient areas being split/merged if administratively convenient.

In 1974, every civil parish in Wales was converted into a local government “community”, hence community councils. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/70/… (Parishes/communities can rename themselves towns, so town councils are legally parish councils in England and community councils in Wales.)

Many built-up areas in England had civil parish councils that evolved or combined into district councils, so are now unparished. But, according to the Office for National Statistics, “Unlike parishes in England, communities cover the whole of Wales” ons.gov.uk/methodology/ge…

The Office for National Statistics is wrong.

In 1988, as the poll tax or community charge dawned, someone in Westminster noticed that a few Welsh islanders had never been paying local rates. And now the islanders claimed to be exempt from the poll tax.

Every non-exempt adult in every district or borough in England and Wales had to pay the poll tax. But what if Parliament had forgotten to include an inhabited place in a district? 🤔

The Local Government Act 1888 created “administrative counties” out of the ancient counties of England and Wales. The Local Government Act 1972 (as well as converting Welsh parishes into communities) incorporated the administrative county of Pembroke into the new county of Dyfed.

That was in Part I of Schedule 4 to the 1972 Act. Part II defined the existing districts that would compose the areas of each new district of Wales within each new county, though their naming was delegated to ministers (“D.3” became South Pembrokeshire legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1973/34/m…)

The Local Government Act 1972 tidied up administration into a neat uniform patchwork of new districts within new counties. But what if Parliament forgot that somewhere in ancient Pembrokeshire and the administrative county of Pembroke was not in any existing district?

Welcome to Caldey Island! In the county of Pembrokeshire / Sir Benfro. ONS wrongly thinks it is a Welsh community statistics.data.gov.uk/doc/statistica… Ordnance Survey wrongly thinks it is part of the community of Tenby data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/doc/geometry/2…

Caldey (Caldy/Ynys Bŷr), linked by causeway to St Margaret’s (Little Caldey), was occupied in 1906 by Anglican monks who defected to Rome as Benedictines in 1913. After some property-related disputation, they fled to Gloucestershire. In 1934, the abbey became a Cistercian priory.

So, in 1990, as the poll tax began to bite, Caldey Island had never been within any rates or council tax billing area – and never within the area of any electoral registration officer (both being district-based functions). Its inhabitants could legally neither be taxed nor vote.

In fact, Caldey inhabitants had previously been on the register of electors of neighbouring South Pembrokeshire. But, as word spread, officials fell into line. On 15 February 1990, the 1990/91 register was published. The islanders could no longer vote.

But good news – A parliamentary bill to restore the franchise!
The Times, February 8, 1989: “Caldey may get the vote”

The Times, October 18, 1990: “Caldey gets the poll tax” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Junior minister Baroness Trumpington explained the island’s “unique status” as she took the Caldey Island Bill through the House of Lords api.parliament.uk/historic-hansa… The Welsh Local Government Boundary Commission had turned a blind eye in 1972, as had the Welsh Office 10 years later.

So it was that the Caldey Island Act became law on 1 November 1990 legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/44/… Caldey was not made part of South Pembrokeshire, but was to be treated as part of it for voting and poll tax purposes

In 1994, local government was tidied up even more and every district in Wales was abolished. Caldey Island became very much part of the new unitary county of Pembrokeshire. For all purposes. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/19/… 1. For Part I of Schedule 4 to the 1972 Act substitute—
“PART I
Counties
…
Name: Pembrokeshire / Sir Benfro
Area: The districts of Preseli Pembrokeshire and South Pembrokeshire, together with Caldey Island and St Margaret’s Island.
…" src="/images/1px.png" data-src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DcNoq3mXkAApAx1.jpg">

In 2009, Pembrokeshire proposed to make Caldey part of nearby Tenby community. Amid fears of “an additional precept of about £55 a year”, the abbot claimed to speak for all islanders: “We wish to keep our independence.” The idea was swiftly dropped. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/sou…

Pembrokeshire have today promised to remind ONS and Ordnance Survey that Caldey Island is (uniquely in all Wales) not part of any community. So look forward to OS updating its maps some time soon. visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/ 2018, 1934, 1910; cf 1965:

(To be fair to HM Government, in 2009 Pembrokeshire Council itself forgot that Caldey Island is not merely a place without a community council but a place without a community. mgenglish.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/documents/s102… p1)

The End

External Tweet loading...
If nothing shows, it may have been deleted
by @SnoozeInBrief view original on Twitter

In isolated parts of England, parish boundaries have the opposite quirk

External Tweet loading...
If nothing shows, it may have been deleted
by @RichGreenhill view original on Twitter