Have your say on a new political map for Shropshire Council

News from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England

New boundaries are being proposed for council electoral divisions in Shropshire Council.

The Local Government Boundary Commission wants to hear what residents and local organisations think about the proposals. A 10-week consultation on the proposals will run until 10 July 2023.

The Commission is the independent body that draws these boundaries. It is reviewing Shropshire to make sure councillors will represent about the same number of electors, and that electoral division arrangements will help the council work effectively.

The Commission has published proposals for changes to Shropshire. It is proposing that there should be 72 divisions and 70 single member and two two-member divisions. Most divisions are changing.

An interactive map is available at www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/shropshire.

Proposed changes include:

• Improving the electoral equality of Chirbury & Worthen by adding a portion of Westbury parish.
• Creating two new divisions tightly focused on the town of Shifnal.
• Retaining two member divisions covering the St Martin’s and Bayston Hill areas, rather than splitting these communities between divisions.

Launching the consultation Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said:

“We want people in Shropshire to help us.

“We have drawn up proposals for new electoral divisions in Shropshire. We want to make sure these new electoral arrangements reflect communities. We also want them to be easy to understand and convenient for local people.

“Residents and local organisations can help us do that. We would like them to let us know whether they agree with our proposals before we take final decisions.

“It’s easy to get involved. Go to our website. Or you can e-mail or write to us.

“Just tell us what you think and give us some details why you think that. It’s really simple, so do get involved.”

Lezley Picton, Leader of Shropshire Council, said:

“We’ll be carefully considering the Boundary Commission’s detailed proposals to understand what they would mean for the council and the county. We’ll then respond with our thoughts.

“As these proposals are likely to affect a large number of people across our area I encourage all local residents to have a look for themselves and submit their comments as part of the consultation.”

The Commission has a dedicated section on its website where people can see the detail of the proposals and comment on the names of electoral divisions, their boundaries and the number of councillors per electoral division.

People can also give their views by e-mail at reviews@lgbce.org.uk, and by post:

Review Officer (Shropshire)
LGBCE
PO Box 133
Blyth
NE24 9FE

Further information

This consultation relates to arrangements for local government elections. It is
separate from the review of parliamentary constituencies that is currently taking
place.

For further information contact the Commission’s press office on 0330 500 1525 /
1250 or email press@lgbce.org.uk.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is an independent body
accountable to Parliament. It recommends fair electoral and boundary arrangements
for local authorities in England. In doing so, it aims to:

• Make sure that, within an authority, each councillor represents a similar number of electors
• Create boundaries that are appropriate, and reflect community ties and identities
• Deliver reviews informed by local needs, views and circumstances
• Reflect the request for single-member divisions