Cheshire East Council is facing a potential future shake-up of wards and councillors because the Local Government Boundary Commission plans to review its electoral arrangements, writes Belinda Ryan.
The review will look at how many councillors the authority should have, how many council wards there should be, where boundaries should be, what the wards should be called, and how many councillors should represent each ward.
The electoral arrangements are being reviewed at Cheshire East because one ward – Brereton Rural – has an electors-per-councillor ratio that is more than 30% different from the average for the authority.
And also because CEC has more than 30% of its 52 wards – in this case 17 – with a ratio that is more than 10% different from the average for the authority.
A report due to go to Tuesday’s meeting of the corporate policy committee states: “Part of the review will include meetings between the commission, councillors, officers and group leaders.
“Where it considers it appropriate to do so, the commission may meet with parish and town councils.
“The commission will decide how many councillors should be elected to the council in the future. This decision will be based on information received from the council, and any other representations made.”
The purpose of the review is to ensure the council’s wards are in the best possible places to help it carry out its responsibilities effectively.
It will also ensure new wards leave each councillor representing roughly the same number of voters as other councillors elsewhere in the authority.
The report says new wards, as far as possible, will reflect community interests and identities, and boundaries will be identifiable.
Transport links will be considered, as well as community groups and facilities, natural or physical boundaries, parishes and shared interests.
New wards should also promote effective and convenient local government.
The number of councillors will take into account the geographic size of, and the links between, parts of wards.
The review is expected to take 18 months and any changes would come into force for the 2027 local elections.
The corporate policy committee is next week expected to appoint a seven-strong sub-committee, on a politically proportionate basis, to make recommendations in respect of all matters relating to the Cheshire East Council Electoral Review.
The corporate policy committee meeting takes place at the council’s Westfields HQ at Sandbach at 10am on Tuesday, July 11.
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