Should the boundaries for Brighton and Hove's council wards be changed – residents views sought

Views of residents in Brighton and Hove will be used to draw up proposals for new council ward boundaries.

The Local Government Boundary Commission wants to hear what the city’s communities think about their local area.

A ten-week consultation on proposals for the city council’s electoral wards has now started and will run until November 1.

There are 54 councillors in Brighton and Hove and the Local Government Boundary Commission has already announced that it is minded to recommend that the council should have 54 councillors in the future.

The Commission said: “We are about to draw up a new pattern of wards to accommodate 54 councillors. We need your help to tell where the new boundaries should be drawn.

“The Commission has not yet proposed any new wards. We want to hear from you on what you think of the current wards and where you think new ones should be.”

The last review took place in 2003. Since that time Brighton and Hove’s communities have changed, and population has grown.

Speaking about the review, Leader of the Council, Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty strongly encouraged residents to take part: “The geographical areas which are used to elect city councillors often have important and historic community ties and hold a place in residents hearts. And we want to see these areas, or wards as they are called, faithfully represent how people think and feel about their community. It’s really important that how geographical areas are grouped together for elections makes sense to the people living there.

“Councillors also need to represent a similar number of local residents to ensure the needs and interests of all of the city’s communities- whether they are in the suburbs, the city centre, in Hove or Brighton- are fairly represented.

“The last review took place in 2003 and our population has grown and demographics have changed so I welcome this opportunity to review ward boundaries and council size to strengthen local democratic representation.”