Agenda item

Report of the Director of Corporate Serivces.

The Leader introduced the report, and the Assistant Director of Strategy and Transformation provided a brief presentation covering the following areas:

• The stages of the review.

• Background to the review and timescales. 
• How the submission had been compiled
• Electorate forecasts
• The draft submission -  62 members and a single member ward review.
• Alternatives considered
• The next steps which included a report to Cabinet on 21 September and Council on 13 October prior to submission to the Boundary Commission by the 11 November 2022.
• Brief summary of stage 2 which would commence early 2023.

Members were informed that all the evidence supported the retention of 62 members and it was proposed that this would be the basis of the Council Size Submission Document.  There would also be a request for ‘single member’ wards as part of the Submission.  The Committee was reminded that there were no guarantee that single member divisions would be achievable and this had been requested as part of the last review in 2010, however two double divisions remained.

Stage two of the project would commence with the Boundary Commission  publishing their ‘in-principle’ view on the Councillor numbers, by 10^th January 2023. 

During the discussion, members asked questions and were provided with the following information:

• All District and Borough Councils had now submitted all of the information requested and require to support the Councils proposals.
• Briefing meetings would be offered to Parish and Town Councils, stakeholders and interested community groups in January 2023.  This would include all County Council political groups and independent members.
• Some District/Borough Councils were currently conducting their own boundary reviews and it was felt that this may affect the boundaries for County members.  The latest agreed boundaries, and most up to date information would be used.
• The Commissions ‘in principle’ decision would be received in January 2023.  This would be flexible and should information change the Commission would be able to change any decision before the end of the process.  There would normally be a + or – 10% on electorate figures.
• The Boundary Commission preferred coterminous boundaries but there wasn’t always a perfect match and flexibility was important.  An example was give of the Keele Division where the number of students registering to vote from the University changed each year dependant on events such as the pandemic or a general election.

The Committee:

• Agreed with the proposal to retain the current council size of 62 Elected Members and to the proposal to request a single member per division review.

• Felt that the Scrutiny work programmes demonstrated the work load undertaken my members and supported the number of Councillors staying the same.
• Felt that the Health Scrutiny function, which was a statutory requirement, needed to be added to the list of statutory responsibilities.
• Wished to see coterminous boundaries wherever possible but acknowledged that this was not always possible, particularly when District/Borough Councils were reviewing their boundaries at the same time.

Resolved: 

a)   That the progress on the County’s Electoral Review be noted.

b)  That the comments and suggestions from the Committee as listed above be referred to Cabinet for consideration.