Have your say on new council ward boundaries

Published: 1 November 2021

Local residents and organisations are being asked for their help to draw up new ward boundaries across Derby by taking part in a 10-week consultation.

The electoral arrangements of every principal local authority in England must be reviewed “from time to time” to ensure the arrangements are fit for purpose and so that they continue to reflect community interests and identities. The last review of ward boundaries for Derby City Council was in 2001.

An independent body, The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE), is now reviewing Derby to make sure councillors represent a similar number of electors in each ward, and that ward arrangements help the council work effectively.

The Commission is likely to recommend that the number of councillors at Derby City Council will remain at 51 and that boundaries for the 17 wards in the city are re-drawn, as some don’t currently meet the statutory criteria for electoral equality.

The Commission wants to hear from local people on what they think of the current wards, where new ones should be, the identity of the ward and which communities should be part of the same ward. The views the Commission want to hear about include:

• What facilities do people share, such as parks, leisure centres or schools and shopping areas?
• What issues do neighbouring communities face that they have in common, such as high numbers of visitors or heavy traffic?
• Have there been new housing or commercial developments that have changed the focus of communities?
• And are there roads, rivers, railways or other features that people believe form strong boundaries between neighbourhoods?

Cllr Chris Poulter, Leader of Derby City Council said:

This is the first review of Derby’s the electoral arrangements in 20 years and there has been considerable change to our wards in that time. I would encourage people to take part in the consultation and share their views to ensure community interest and identities are reflected and local needs are met in the future.

People can give their views on a dedicated section of the Commission’s website until 3 January 2022.

People can also give their views by email, or by post to Review Officer (Derby) LGBCE PO Box 133 Blyth NE24 9FE

There will be a further round of public consultation once the Commission has reviewed feedback and drawn up its proposals.

Consultation, Democracy