Local Government Boundary Commission for England: Local Government in London is Changing

LONDON, July 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Council ward boundaries for more than four million London voters are set to change in a programme of reviews that starts this week. The independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England is reviewing ward boundaries for 25 London councils to make them fairer for voters and reflect community ties.

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A public consultation on ward boundaries in Harrow begins today. A programme of reviews will follow over the next three years and will look at councillor numbers, wards and ward boundaries across London.

Individual borough reviews will decide how many councillors should be elected to each local authority as well as the boundaries and names of council wards. The reviews aim to make sure votes in London local elections are fair so that each councillor represents roughly the same number of voters. The Commission will also look at local community interests and ties.

Public consultations in each borough will give local people the chance to have their say about how they are represented.

New wards will come into effect at London's next local elections in 2022.

Chair of the Commission, Professor Colin Mellors OBE, said: "Our reviews will make local elections in London fairer for voters and we will try and build council wards that mean something to local communities.

"Everyone living in the boroughs under review will get a chance to have their say on new council wards in their area. After all, local people know their area best."

Residents and local organisations can find out more about the review of their area on the Commission's website at http://www.lgbce.org.uk.

Notes to editors: 

1. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is responsible for reviewing local authority electoral arrangements, defining boundaries for local elections and the number of councillors to be elected, as well as conducting reviews of councils' external boundaries and structures.

2. The programme will be conducted according to the following timetable (which is subject to change):  

   
    Council           Start of review

    Harrow                 2018
    Brent                  2018
    Hillingdon             2018
    Ealing                 2018
    Barnet                 2018
    Haringey               2018
    Camden                 2018
    Enfield                2018
    Hounslow               2019
    Islington              2019
    Newham                 2019
    Westminster            2019
    Waltham Forest         2019
    Hammersmith & Fulham   2019
    Wandsworth             2019
    Merton                 2019
    Sutton                 2019
    Kingston upon Thames   2019
    Richmond upon Thames   2019
    Bromley                2019
    Lewisham               2019
    Greenwich              2019
    Havering               2019
    Lambeth                2020
    Barking & Dagenham     2020

1. Seven London councils have undergone electoral reviews since 2000. They are (with implementation date of new boundaries): Hackney (2014), Tower Hamlets (2014), Kensington & Chelsea (2014), Croydon (2018), Redbridge (2018), Southwark (2018), Bexley (2018).

SOURCE Local Government Boundary Commission for England