The independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England has opened a new phase of public consultation in its review of Bath and North East Somerset Council’s ward boundaries.
The consultation focuses on new proposals for ward boundaries in Bath.
Local residents have until 11th June to have their say on the proposals before the Commission finalises its recommendations for new wards across the whole council area.
In December 2017, the Commission opened a public consultation on proposals for new ward boundaries across Bath and North East Somerset.
The Commission has listened to the views put to it during consultation and now proposes to make changes to the plans.
Due to the significance of the proposed changes in Bath, the Commission is opening an extra phase of consultation to see what local people think of the new recommendations.
The consultation is limited to the Commission’s new proposals in Bath.
Details of the recommendations, including maps of the proposals, are available on the Commission’s website at www.lgbce.org.uk and at https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/9913.
In its draft recommendations, the Commission proposed an Abbey ward, a Kingsmead ward and a Lansdown ward for the central and northern parts of the city.
Local feedback argued that the proposed Abbey ward shared close community ties with Kingsmead and that both areas should be included in the same ward.
Local people also told the Commission that its proposed Lansdown ward did not include all the neighbourhoods that share community ties with that area.
In response to the consultation, the Commission has changed its proposals so that the proposed Abbey and Kingsmead wards are combined to form a single ward to be represented by two councillors.
Instead of its proposed Lansdown ward to be represented by one councillor, it now proposes a larger ward which would be represented by two councillors.
The Commission also received comments that its proposals for a Larkhall ward and Walcot ward did not reflect the cohesive community of Lambridge. The Commission has therefore changed its proposals in the north east of the city to create a two-councillor Lambridge ward to reflect local ties and identities.
In Combe Down, the Commission has listened to local comments that said the proposed Combe Down and Claverton wards would divide local communities.
The Commission’s new proposals therefore recommend a two-councillor Combe Down ward which includes parts of its previously proposed Claverton ward. The Commission also now proposes that the University campus at Claverton Down should, as it does currently, form part of Bathwick ward.
The rest of Claverton ward would be part of a Widcombe & Lyncombe ward which the Commission has also amended in light of local views.
The Commission has also listened to submissions during the public consultation that suggested its proposal for a three-councillor Oldfield Park ward failed to reflect the distinct identities of the Oldfield Park and Westmoreland communities.
The Commission is therefore proposing to divide the ward into a one-councillor Oldfield Park ward alongside a two-councillor Westmoreland ward.
Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said: “We listened carefully to all the views put to us on new ward boundaries in the previous consultation and have made significant changes to the original recommendations in Bath.
“We are now asking local people to log on to our website to tell us what they think about these proposals before we publish final recommendations for the whole council area in August.”
Residents can have their say in writing:
The Review Officer (Bath and North East Somerset)
LGBCE
14th floor, Millbank Tower
London SW1P 4QP
Or email to [email protected].
