| 11 January 2024 was the start of a 10-week public consultation inviting proposals for new council wards and ward boundaries for Vale of White Horse District Council. The Local Government Boundary Commission’s consultation will close on 18 March 2024. After we have considered all representations made to us during this consultation, we intend to publish draft recommendations in June 2024. We will then hold a further period of consultation on our draft recommendations. Our final recommendations are expected to be published in October 2024. The new electoral arrangements will come into effect at the local elections in 2027. If you represent a local organisation or community group in Vale, please pass this message on to your members or anyone who you think might be interested in the review. You can share the message by email or through social media by using the buttons at the bottom right of the page. What is an electoral review? Our electoral review will recommend new electoral arrangements for Vale of White Horse District Council. We will propose: the total number of councillors elected to the council in the future; the number of wards; the number of councillors representing each ward; ward boundaries; and the names of wards. How to get involved This is a public consultation and we welcome views from individuals and organisations across Vale of White Horse on where they think new ward boundaries should be drawn. We are minded to recommend that 38 councillors should be elected to Vale of White Horse in the future. This is no change than the current number of councillors. We are now inviting proposals to help us draw up a pattern of wards to accommodate 38 councillors. In drawing up new electoral wards, we must balance three legal criteria, namely: to deliver electoral equality: where each councillor represents roughly the same number of electors as others across the district; that the pattern of wards should, as far as possible, reflect the interests and identities of local communities; that the electoral arrangements should provide for effective and convenient local government. We will treat all submissions equally, and judge each case on its merits and against the legal criteria. If you wish to put forward a view, we would also urge you to ensure that evidence supports your submission. For example, if you wish to argue that two areas should be included in the same electoral ward, make sure you tell us why they should be together, providing evidence about community facilities, ties, organisations, and amenities, rather than simply asserting that they belong together. There is more advice on our website about how you can get involved in the consultation. Our website features technical guidance that explains the process and our policies, as well as guidance on how to take part in each part of the process. We have also set up a webpage dedicated to the review of Vale of White Horse, where you can find all the relevant information, access interactive maps of the current ward boundaries, and give your views. |
The Local Governement Boundary Commission for England
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