Agenda item

The Head of Legal Services (People) will be in attendance to provide an update on Middlesbrough’s Boundary review and the consultation exercise.

A Wilson, Head of Legal Services (People), was in attendance to provided Members with an update in relation to the current Electoral Review.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) was currently carrying out a review of electoral arrangements in Middlesbrough.  This considered:-

·         Phase One – Number of Councillors

·         Phase Two – Warding Patterns

·         Phase Three – Consultation on Draft Recommendations

The Review was now in Phase Three, with draft recommendations published on 9 July 2024.  The draft recommendations included a proposal that 46 Councillors should be elected to Middlesbrough and also proposed new ward boundaries.

The LGBCE confirmed it had considered all representations it had received from local people and organisations, including the joint response submitted by Middlesbrough Council during the initial consultation.

Comments on the draft recommendations were now invited by the LGBCE prior to finalising the new electoral arrangements for Middlesbrough.  Each response received during the consultation period would be weighted against the statutory criteria.

Draft recommendations could be viewed at: Middlesbrough | LGBCE.  The link also provided access to detailed ward maps and provided the opportunity to make comments.

Comments to the proposals could be made via the website (through the above link), by email at reviews@lgbce.org.uk or by post at The Review Officer (Middlesbrough), LGBCE, PO Box 133, Blyth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE24 9EF.

Submissions needed to be balanced across the three statutory criteria: Electoral equality for voters; Community identities and interests; Effective and convenient local government.

Consultation on the draft proposals would run from 9 July to 16 September 2024 and the final recommendations would be published in February 2025.  The Order would be made by Summer 2025 and elected upon in 2027.

Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Board were asked whether they wished to make a joint submission in response to the proposals or whether they would prefer to respond at individual or group level.

A discussion took place and Members considered it would be difficult for OSB to agree a joint response due to differing views around ward boundaries and concerns expressed around proposed additional housing developments in some areas which did not appear to have been taken into account by the LGBCE when proposing changes to ward boundaries.

The Board felt that it should be up to the groups and individuals to submit their own responses as there were also independent Members who were not members of a group.

The Head of Legal Services confirmed that an email had been sent to all Members of the Council on 9 July in relation to the draft proposals and this contained the associated links for people to submit comments.  The Head of Service confirmed that she would re-circulate the email again as a reminder and would also include the original joint submission from OSB.

A vote was taken and Members agreed unanimously that individual or group responses should be submitted to the LGBCE, as a collective response could not be agreed upon.

AGREED as follows:-

1.    That individual and/or group responses to the LGBCE proposals be submitted by no later than 16 September 2024.

2.    That the Head of Legal Services (People) re-circulate the LGBCE proposals to all Members, reminding them of the deadline for submissions, together with relevant links/contact details for the LGBCE, and the previous joint submission from OSB.

3.    That the Communications Team be asked to add this to the Council’s website.