Have your say on new ward boundaries

The eight-week public consultation on the recommendations will end on 8 May 2017. The consultation is open to anyone who wants to have their say on new council wards, ward boundaries and ward names across Harborough district.

The Commission’s draft recommendations propose that the Harborough should have 34 councillors in the future, three fewer the current arrangements.

The recommendations also outline how those councillors should represent three three-councillor wards, nine two-councillor wards and seven one-councillor wards across the district.

The full recommendations and detailed interactive maps are available on the Commission’s website at consultation.lgbce.org.uk and www.lgbce.org.uk. Hard copies of the Commission’s report and maps will also be available to view at council buildings.

Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said: “We are publishing proposals for a new pattern of wards across Harborough and we are keen to hear what local people think of the recommendations. Over the next eight weeks, we are asking local people to tell us if they agree with the proposals or if not, how they can be improved. Our review aims to deliver electoral equality for local voters. This means that each councillor represents a similar number of people so that everyone’s vote in council elections is worth roughly the same regardless of where you live. We also want to ensure that our proposals reflect the interests and identities of local communities across Harborough and that the pattern of wards can help the council deliver effective local government to local people. We will consider all the submissions we receive whoever they are from and whether your evidence applies to the whole district or just part of it.”

The Commission wants to hear as much evidence as possible to develop final recommendations for Harborough district. If you would like to make a submission to the Commission, please write or email by 8 May 2017 to:

The Review Officer (Harborough)

Local Government Boundary Commission for England

14th floor, Millbank Tower

London

SW1P 4QP

Email: reviews@lgbce.org.uk

Follow on Twitter @LGBCE

 

Have your say directly through the Commission’s consultation portal: https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/8866

Link to the dedicated web page for the Harborough electoral review: www.lgbce.org.uk/current-reviews/east-midlands/leicestershire/harborough

For further information contact Press Office: 0330 500 1250 / 1525 or email press@lgbce.org.uk

 

Notes to editors:

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is responsible for reviewing local authority electoral arrangements, defining boundaries for local elections and the number of councillors to be elected, as well as conducting reviews of local government external boundaries and structures.

The Commission is carrying out an electoral review of Harborough District Council following a formal request from the council to consider the total number of councillors that should be elected to the council. The Commission is also carrying out the review to deliver electoral equality for local voters. The district currently has relatively high levels of electoral inequality where some councillors represent significantly more, or fewer, voters than other members of the council.

The types of questions the Commission is asking residents in this phase of consultation are:

• Do the proposed wards reflect local communities?
• How do you think the proposals can be improved whilst maintaining electoral equality?
• Are the names of the proposed wards right?

The electoral review of Harborough District Council is a separate undertaking from the review of parliamentary constituency boundaries which is being carried out by a separate body (Boundary Commission for England) under different rules and legislation.

Residents have from 14 March until 8 May 2017 to have their say about where ward boundaries for Harborough should be drawn. The Commission will consider all submissions and aims to publish its final recommendations in July 2017. Once the Commission agrees its final recommendations it will lay a draft order in both Houses of Parliament.  Parliament will then have 40 days in which to consider the recommendations. If both Houses are satisfied with the recommendations, the draft order will be ‘made’ and the new wards will come into effect at the council elections in May 2019.