WARRINGTON Borough Council needs one extra councillor – bringing the total membership to 58 – according to draft proposals the authority wants to put to the Local Government Boundary Commission.
This would mean that on average, each councillor would represent 2,887 electors compared to 2,586 at the time of the last electoral review in 2002.
Prior to that, the council had had 60 members representing 24 wards.
An electoral review has to take place when there is significant electoral inequality – that is where 30 per cent or more wards have an electoral variance of more than 10 per cent from the average or where one ward, or more, has an electoral variance of more than 30 per cent from the average.
The review at Warrington has been triggered because 41 per cent of wards have an electoral variance of more than 10.3 per cent from the average with little prospect of the variance correcting themselves through development or population movements.
Deadline for the council’s submission to the commission is February 23. The council will debate the submission at an extraordinary meeting of the full council next Monday when a report will be presented by council leader, Cllr Terry O’Neill (pictured).
If no agreement can be reached, the three individual political groups – Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative – can make their own submissions.
Possible changes to electoral ward boundaries will not be considered until the total number of councillors has been decided. Public consultation on these will take place between May 12 and July 6 and draft recommendations will go out for public consultation from August 26 to October 15.
Any changes to ward boundaries or the size of the council will not come into force until May next year.
Next Monday’s council meeting will also consider proposals for new polling stations in three wards to be used in this year’s elections. They are:
Appleton: Broomfields Leisure Centre to replace Cygnets Children’s Centre; Bewsey and Whitecross: Bewsey Park community Centre to replace Longshaw Street Community Centre, Dallam Primary School to replace Dallam Community House and Sankey Bridges Community Centre to replace Evelyn Street Primary School; Hatton, Stretton and Walton: St Matthews Church Hall to replace the Hatton Arms.
Borough Council needs one more member
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About Author
Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
