Electoral Review - Council size and ward boundaries
The Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBCE) has informed
the Council that during 2012 it will be undertaking a review of the
size of the Council and examining the ward boundaries to ensure
that the number of Councillors reflects current and future changes
to the population and that each Councillor represents roughly the
same number of electors.
We currently have 18 electoral wards each returning three
Councillors, giving us 54 Council Members in total. Currently,
compared with most other areas, we have slightly more councillors
per elector registered but a slightly smaller proportion of our
population that have chosen to register to vote. We think the
local population will continue to rise slightly as new dwellings
are completed.
We invite your views on the following issues in particular:
- How large should the Council be? Is 54 Councillors the
right number to ensure good governance at the Royal Borough?
Could we operate satisfactorily with less - or do we need
more?
- Do you favour retaining the current arrangements whereby each
ward is represented by three councillors, or is there some
other option you prefer?
- Do you have any other concerns or thoughts about Council size
or ward numbers?
The timescale is tight, but the Council will be pleased to hear
your views on all or any of these matters. Any responses
should be directed to committees@rbkc.gov.uk and
should be submitted by 6 February 2012. Should you wish to
hear more about the review process please feel free to attend the
full Council meeting at 6.30pm on 18 January when LGBCE will make a
presentation and respond to questions. Alternatively please
see the LGBCE
guidance [PDF] (file size 288Kb)
As part of the process, the LGBCE will publish proposals for any
changes at a later stage in 2012 and there will be a further round
of consultation then.