THE new unitary council for the conurbation will have 76 councillors, if approved.

The number has been agreed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and now forms the basis of draft proposals for new ward boundaries prepared by the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Joint Committee.

The proposals will eventually be passed to the Government's Boundary Commission, which will make the final decision on the shape of the new authority.

New wards are expected to maintain a roughly equal balance of the number of electors to the number of councillors, roughly 2,000 electors per councillor, and must also account for forecast future population growth.

A report by head of elections Matt Pitcher to the Joint Committee meeting on Wednesday, May 23, states: "This has meant that we are working with forecast electorate figures for November 2023.

"These projections do have significant increases in some wards on actual electorates from December 2017."

It adds: "This proposal has six three-member wards and 29 two-member wards within a total of 35 wards across the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole new council area.

"The option proposed is compliant with the Local Government Boundary Commission of England guidance and is a more positive position in terms of electoral equality than exists currently and in the fallback arrangement."

A number of existing wards, or county council divisions in Christchurch, will be retained in the same form. These include Alderney, Boscombe East and West, Bournemouth Central, Burton Grange, East Cliff and Springbourne, Littledown and Iford, Moordown, Newtown, Wallisdown and Winton West, and Winton East.

More significant changes include the joining of the southern area of Bearwood with Kinson South, and of Branksome East and West wards with some properties north of Lindsay Road which are currently in Canford Cliffs.

The Pinesprings development in Broadstone would be moved into Creekmoor ward and Canford Heath's East and West wards would be combined with some properties from Oakdale.

Most of Christchurch's divisions include minor moves of individual roads or neighbourhoods over borders.

Hamworthy East and West would be combined also, while the committee report states that "significant proposed development" will lead to growth in the number of electors in Merley and Bearwood North.

Part of Penn Hill and also of Poole Town would be included in Parkstone ward to bring up the numbers there.

Properties north of Poole Road in Westbourne and West Cliff would be included in Talbot & Branksome Woods.

East Southbourne and Tuckton will include all of Mudeford Sandbank, with the boundary moved to the mouth of Christchurch Harbour.