Wiltshire could retain its current number of councillors

The body which reviews how many councillors each local authority elects is ready to recommend that Wiltshire Council should retain its current number of unitary councillors of 98.

Following consideration of Wiltshire Council’s submission and evidence received, The Local Government Boundary Commission for England reports that it is ‘minded to’ propose that Wiltshire should return 98 councillors at the next election in 2021.

 Wiltshire Council made a case to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England that it was essential to retain its area boards as executive committees with decision making powers and any reduction in councillors would have put the continuance of them at risk.

Richard Clewer, the chairman of Wiltshire Council’s electoral review committee said, “I’d like to thank everyone involved for their hard work in getting us to this stage as this is a very detailed project initially looking at how the council should be governed in to the future.

“Quite clearly the Local Government Boundary Commission for England has understood the unique approach that the council takes to engage with its communities and partners and the benefits it brings to our decision-making by proposing the same number of councillors that we currently have. However people should be aware than even if our number stays the same there will still be some significant changes in their local electoral divisions and to recognise the planned growth in population both now and in to the future. Therefore I encourage people to get involved in the consultation on where boundaries need changing in order to achieve fair representation on the council.”

 The Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s conclusions on the size and boundaries of council divisions is now open for public consultation from until 5th November. Any parties interested in making a submission on division boundary patterns should submit this directly to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England using their consultation portal at https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/14518

 The Wiltshire Council Electoral Review Committee would also welcome any views from organisations, communities or the public, as it prepares a submission on behalf of the council. Any representations to the council should be sent to committee@wiltshire.gov.uk.

 Wiltshire Council’s original submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission and other relevant information related to the review can be found at https://cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/mgGeneric.aspx?MD=ElectoralReview&bcr=1