NUMBERS on Somerset Council could be cut by 14, if new proposals are approved.
A public consultation has been launched to help shape council wards by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.
Currently, the authority is made up of 110 councillors, but the Local Government Boundary Commission has decided it should be cut to 96.
Now, the body wants to hear people’s views on where they live, to help make sure “new divisions reflect the size and shape of communities”.
Launching the consultation on the electoral review of Somerset Council, Professor Colin Mellors, chair of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, said: “We are looking for your views, as local people, on how you think Somerset should be represented in divisions that reflect local communities and identities.
“By telling us about where you live and where you access local services, it will help us to create appropriate and meaningful boundaries.
“It might be something as straightforward as where you go for shops, schools or a sporting venue, whether you see a road, park or river as a dividing feature or the heart of a community, or which areas have joint projects.
“Hearing from local residents will give us important evidence to inform our recommendations for a pattern of divisions for Somerset that ensures each councillor represents about the same number of electors.”
The consultation on this stage of the electoral review will run for 10 weeks, closing on January 20, after which the Commission will use residents’ views to help draw up proposals for new division boundaries.
People can give their views via the Commission website at lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/somerset, by email to reviews@lgbce.org.uk, or by post to: Review Officer (Somerset), The Local Boundary Commission for England, 7th Floor, 3 Bunhill Row, London, EC1Y 8YZ.
The elected councillors serve two important functions:
Firstly, they convey the views, needs, requirements of their electorate (i.e. the residents or council tax payers) to the permanent staff of the council’
Secondly, they must, must, must hold the permanent staff of the council to account when there are shortfalls in performance.
Of course the senior employees at the council want to reduce the numbers of councillors – this means that there is less oversight of their performance.