Election boundary consultation ends soon

Residents of Hackney have only 13 days left to object to proposed boundary changes to council wards.

Locals have until September 24 to analyse a proposal by the independently-run Local Government Boundary Commission for England and present their own recommendations and objections.

The borough was put under review last year after the LGBCE concluded  for found it had high levels of electoral inequality, meaning the importance of one vote in council elections can vary wildly depending on your ward.

Local parties have tussled over the scope of the review, with both Labour-controlled Hackney council and the local Liberal Democrats submitting their own warding proposals for the borough. Local conservatives also wrote to the council in April to register is disagreement.

Michael Levy, Conservative councillor for Springfield ward, said: “We hope the Commission treats these proposals for what they are, a narrow, Officer based desk top exercise which has not had the benefit of wide consultation within the Council.”

The Commission has been taking recommendations and consulting local councillors on the best breakdown of boundaries. It concluded in July that the people of Hackney would be best represented if the number of councilors operating within the borough stayed at the current number of 57, broken down into 13 three-member wards and nine two-member wards.

Hackney council initially proposed 20 different wards, while The Liberal Democrats proposed 23 wards. The Commission’s proposal represents a compromise of 21 wards, taking into account issues of community identity and the ties between existing wards.

Residents should click here before September 24, when the LGBCE will stop considering proposed ward boundaries, ward names and number of councillors representing those wards.

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