A REVIEW is to be carried out which could see the number of councillors on New Forest District Council reduced.
The boundary review by the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) would look at the total number of councillors elected to the local authority; the number and boundaries of wards; and the number of councillors for the wards and the name of any ward.
Speaking at a meeting of Fordingbridge Town Council last week, New Forest District councillor Ann Bellows said: “The council is undertaking an electoral review and they have come to the conclusion to reduce the amount of councillors from 60 to 48.
"We will have to see if they [the boundary commission] agree that or whether they want less or more or leave it the same. That is what our suggestion has been.”
A task and finish group was set up back in June to develop the council’s submission.
It’s recommendation to cut the number to 48 was agreed by cabinet and will go to full council on Monday. If it is agreed it will then be submitted to the boundary commission.
The last electoral review was carried out in 1999 prior to the introduction of the Local Government Act 2000 and the implementation of a leader/cabinet model, which the council said in its recommendations to cabinet, had brought about “significant efficiencies” to the way the council operated as well as resulting in “less need” for as many elected members.
Recommendations to the cabinet said: “A successful electoral review of the district council will bring about more representative democracy in the New Forest, as electoral inequality would have been addressed as far as possible as part of the review.”
There would also be an approximate saving of £78,000 per annum in Members’ Allowances.
The commission’s final recommendations have to be put before parliament who will decide to accept or reject them. A public consultation is due to take place next month.
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