Follwing a public consultation the new plans for the future set up of Cheshire West and Cheshire Council have been revealed by the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England. New boundaries have been recommended for each council ward and would see 70 councillors instead of the current 75. The recommendations also propose that those councillors should represent six three-councillor wards, thirteen two-councillor wards and 26 one-councillor wards across Cheshire West and Chester.
1. Blacon 2. Central & Grange 3. Chester City & the Garden Quarter 4. Christleton & Huntington 5. Davenham, Moulton & Kingsmead 6. Farndon 7. Frodsham 8. Gowy Rural 9. Great Boughton 10. Handbridge Park 11. Hartford & Greenbank 12. Helsby 13. Lache 14. Ledsham & Manor 15. Little Neston 16. Malpas 17. Marbury 18. Neston 19. Netherpool 20. Newton & Hoole 21. Northwich Leftwich 22. Northwich Winnington & Castle 23. Northwich Witton 24. Parkgate 25. Rudheath 26. Sandstone 27. Saughall & Mollington 28. Shakerley 29. Strawberry 30. Sutton Villages 31. Tarporley 32. Tarvin & Kelsall 33. Tattenhall 34. Upton 35. Weaver & Cuddington 36. Westminster 37. Whitby Groves 38. Whitby Park 39. Willaston & Thornton 40. Winsford Dene 41. Winsford Gravel 42. Winsford Over & Verdin 43. Winsford Swanlow 44. Winsford Wharton 45. Wolverham
Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said, “We are extremely grateful to people across Cheshire West and Chester who took part in the review. The Commission has looked at all the evidence that was put forward during the consultation.
“We believe these recommendations deliver electoral fairness for voters as well as reflecting community ties throughout Cheshire West and Chester.”
In response to local feedback during consultation, some of the earlier recommendattons have been altered. Originallt the Garden quarter was proposed to be added onto Blacon ward but now it will be wholly contained in a Chester City & the Garden Quarter ward. The Commission then held another phase of consultation on the new proposals and confirms them as final in these recommendations.
The Commission also received representations during public consultation that Lache should be included in its own ward rather than included in a ward with Handbridge Park as proposed by the Commission last August. The Commission agreed that community identities would be better reflected by dividing its proposed Overleigh ward into a Handbridge Park ward and a Lache ward.
In Neston, the Commission originally proposed that the town should be covered by a Neston & Parkgate ward that would be represented by three councillors. However, local people and organisations argued that community ties in the town would be better reflected by having three wards, each represented by one councillor. The Commission has changed its proposals accordingly in its final recommendations.
The Commission has also listened to local feedback about its proposed names for wards across Chester West and Chester. Local people put forward alternatives in several parts of the council area which the Commission has adopted as part of its final recommendations. As such, the final recommendations change the names of the following proposed wards: Eddisbury Hill to Tarvin & Kelsall, Elton & Mickle Trafford to Gowy Rural, Manley to Sandstone, Northwich Winnington to Northwich Winnington & Castle, Overpool & Grange to Central & Grange, Whitby Groves to Whitby Park and Whitby Heath to Whitby Groves.
The proposed new arrangements must now be implemented by Parliament. A draft Order – the legal document which brings into force the recommendations – will be laid in Parliament in the coming months. The draft Order provides for the new electoral arrangements to come into force at the council elections in 2019.
Full details of the changes and final recommendations are available on the Commission’s website at www.lgbce.org.uk.
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