ANGRY Councillors in Lymm have joined the campaign to fight the Boundary Commission’s proposals for new ward boundaries in South Warrington.
The proposals were published on August 25 and are out for public consultation until October 19.
The proposal splits Lymm into two wards North and South and puts the North in with Thelwall.
Leader of the Warrington Council Liberal Democrats Bob Barr said: “I am very surprised by the scale of the changes being proposed. With all party support, Warrington Council put forward a proposal for minimal change. This was the right thing to do because there is huge uncertainty over housing numbers in the Commission’s base year of 2021.
“Any major revision should be delayed until we have more clarity on housing numbers. The borough ward proposals affect parish councils too and cause unnecessary complications between borough and parish representation.”
Cllr Ian Marks who was leader of Warrington Council for five years and is a long term parish councillor added: “The Commission has three criteria for setting boundaries – electoral equality, community identity and effective and convenient local government. We cannot deny that their proposals improve electoral equality but they fail miserably on the other two.
“Lymm is a distinct community with its own identity and lumping it in with Thelwall makes no sense at all. Borough councillors for the new ward of Lymm North and Thelwall would have to liaise with councillors in two parishes.
“Common sense has gone out the window because it is much better if borough and parish councillors are representing the same areas. Community interests and identities are surely more important than arithmetic equality based on an exercise done by people sitting using maps and population numbers but no real local knowledge.”
Last week warrington-worldwide reported how the proposed boundary changes would wipe, Hatton, Stretton and Walton of the borough map.
