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Hello,
We believe you may be interested in responding to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England's review of the electoral wards in Lambeth, which launched today.
This is an important, independent review of the ward boundaries in the borough, to make sure each councillor represents a roughly equal number of residents.
Below is a message from Yemi Fagun, Review Officer, Local Government Boundary Commission for England, with more information about the review and how to have your say.
Thank you,
Lambeth Consultation and Engagement Team
Dear Sir/Madam,
ELECTORAL REVIEW OF LAMBETH: WARDING ARRANGEMENTS
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England has formally commenced an electoral review of Lambeth Council. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of the review and seek your views on future ward boundaries for the council.
The Commission is carrying out a review to deliver electoral equality for voters across the borough. At present, some councillors represent many more, or many fewer, electors than their colleagues elsewhere in the borough. The review aims to correct those imbalances.
What is an electoral review?
The electoral review will recommend new electoral arrangements for Lambeth Council. It 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
- Names of wards
When?
14 July 2020 is the start of a ten-week public consultation during which the Commission is inviting proposals for new warding arrangements. The consultation will close on 21 September 2020. After considering all representations made during this consultation, the Commission intends to publish draft recommendations in January 2021. There will then be a further period of consultation on the draft recommendations. Final recommendations are expected to be published in June 2021. The new electoral arrangements will come into effect at the local elections in 2022.
How to get involved?
This is a public consultation and we welcome views from individuals and organisations across the borough on where they think new ward patterns should be drawn.
The Commission is minded to recommend that 63 councillors should be elected to Lambeth Council in the future. It is now inviting proposals to help it draw up a pattern of wards to accommodate 63 councillors.
In drawing up a pattern of electoral wards, the Commission must balance three legal criteria, namely:
- To deliver electoral equality, where each councillor represents roughly the same number of electors as others across the borough.
- 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 are asking local people and organisations for their views as to the best pattern of wards for the borough which meet the requirements set out above. We encourage local organisations to engage their local networks and communities in the review.
The Commission will treat all submissions equally and will 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 the Commission 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, at www.lgbce.org.uk, 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 set up a page on our website which is dedicated to the review of Lambeth, where you can find all the relevant information.
Get in touch
View interactive maps of the current ward boundaries across the borough, upload documents and have your say, on our specialist consultation portal at: https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk.
- Find out more about the review at: www.lgbce.org.uk.
- Email your views to: reviews@lgbce.org.uk.
- Follow us on Twitter at: @lgbce.
- Write to:
LGBCE c/o Cleardata
Innovation House,
Coniston Court,
Riverside Business Park,
Blyth,
NE24 4RP
This phase of consultation closes on 21 September 2020. We will write to you again when we open our consultation on draft recommendations.
The Commission aims to publish every response it receives during phases of consultation. We will remove all personal information from your submission before publication. You can find out more about how we deal with consultation responses and your personal data at: www.lgbce.org.uk/about-us/privacy.
Yours sincerely,
Yemi Fagun
Review Officer
reviews@lgbce.org.uk
0330 500 1525
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