Electoral Review for Cornwall
Electoral Review for Cornwall is under way by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE). Cornwall Council has set up an Electoral Review Panel, Chaired by an Independent Cornwall Councillor, John Wood. The Panel has been set up to formulate the Council’s proposals on Councillor numbers and electoral divisions.
It is easy for people to say they want fewer Cornwall Councillors but my questions to people in the St Just/ Pendeen area are these?
- Do you feel St Just and Pendeen communities should be kept together as a ward?
- If you feel there should be fewer Councillors how much of a Councillor should St Just/ Pendeen have? Half, a third?
- What other communities do you think could be added to St Just and Pendeen, reasonably – Morvah, Zennor, Newbridge, Sancreed or wider to Madron and/ or St Buryan?
- Did you prefer it when there was Penwith District AND Cornwall County when this area had 3 District and more than half a County Councillor? If so, do you think the case should be made for more Councillors or staying roughly the same?
Email me your thoughts….
Below is a letter I’ve received from John Wood:
Dear Colleagues,
As you will be aware the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is currently carrying out a review in Cornwall which will look at both the number of Councillors on Cornwall Council and the boundaries of the electoral divisions.
This is the first electoral review to take place in Cornwall since the creation of the unitary Council in 2009 and the principal objective is to ensure that all councillors represent, as far as practicably possible, the same number of voters. Any changes will come into effect for the 2021 Cornwall Council elections.
There are no pre-conceived views on the future number of Councillors for the Council. Any council, political party, individual or organisation can make representations to the LGBCE on both the size of Cornwall Council and the pattern of electoral divisions – with the final decision being made by the LGBCE. The LGBCE have made it clear that they will consider proposals for an increase, a decrease or retention of the existing number of Cornwall Councillors – but anyone submitting or commenting on proposals will have to be able to back up their views with evidence.
This is a very important issue, both for the Council and for Cornwall.
The Council has set up an Electoral Review Panel to consider this issue and come up with proposals for the Council to submit to the LGBCE on both the number of Councillors and, later in the process, the patterns of the electoral divisions. As Chairman of that Panel I am keen to ensure that as many people as possible are fully informed about the process and the opportunities they will have to make representations to the LGBCE.
We have produced a briefing pack setting out the background to the review and the procedure which will be followed which I have attached to this message. I will also be providing updates on the work which is taking place within the Council to develop our submission over the coming weeks and months, including through the web page we are setting up on the Council’s web site.
The LGBCE will be formally consulting with organisations and residents during the review but I wanted to make sure that we provided information on what will be happening and what the Council is doing.
Kind regards
John Wood, Chair of the Electoral Review Panel
To read the full electoral review process, follow the link.