COUNCILLOR numbers in Stratford district are set to be slashed.
The independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England has published its final recommendations for new electoral arrangements for Stratford District Council.
And the commission concludes the district should be represented by 36 councillors in the future – 17 fewer than currently – and also propose councillors should represent 36 single-member wards across the district.
The recommendations follows a ten-week public consultation and draws new boundaries for each council ward across the district.
Commission chair Max Caller said: “The Commission considered every piece of evidence it received before finalising these recommendations.
“We have sought to balance the views expressed to us by local people with the criteria we must apply when we are deciding on new electoral arrangements. As such, we believe these recommendations deliver electoral equality for voters as well as reflecting the identities of communities across the district.”
The recommendations also propose to re-name wards, including Wellesbourne North and Wellesbourne South as Wellesbourne East and Wellesbourne West respectively as a result of feedback provided during consultation.
Minor boundary modifications are also proposed for Stratford town and Shipston to ensure each councillor represents a similar number of voters.
The proposed new arrangements must now be implemented by Parliament. A draft order – the legal document which brings into force the recommendations – will be laid in Parliament in the coming months.
The draft order provides for the new electoral arrangements to come into force at the council elections in 2015.
