Local Government boundary review

What is a boundary review?

A boundary review is conducted by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) and they determine the following:

total number of members to be elected to the council (council Size);
number and boundaries of electoral areas (wards/divisions) for the purposes of the election of councillors;
number of councillors for any electoral area of a local authority; and
name of any electoral area.

The key aim for the review is to ‘ensure that the ratio of electors to councillors in each electoral ward is, as nearly as possible, the same’.

This aim is balanced with: ‘…the need to reflect local community identities and interests, and provide for effective and convenient Local Government.’

Next steps

The Commission has decided that the number of councillors in Maidstone should be 48. This is a change from the current council, which has 55 councillors.

A consultation has opened for residents and organisations to have their say on the proposals and will run until 4 April 2022. An online meeting was conducted by the Commission, explaining the process that will be followed to agree a new pattern of wards.

Launching the consultation in January 2022, Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said:

We want people in Maidstone to help us. We are starting to draw up new wards for Maidstone. We want our proposals for new electoral arrangements to reflect communities. We also want them to be easy to understand and convenient for local people.
Residents and local organisations can help us understand community ties and identities at this early stage of the process. It’s easy to get involved. Go to our website. Or you can email 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.

The Commission has a dedicated section on its website where people can give their views.

Timetable

Meeting	Date	Purpose
Council size submission - member workshop 1	7 September 2021	Workshop to discuss council size options
Council size submission - member workshop 2	30 September 2021	Workshop to discuss council size options
Council size submission - member workshop 3	17 November 2021	Workshop to agree council size to be presented to
Democracy and General Purposes Committee	23 November 2021	Recommend size to council
Council	8 December 2021	Recommend size to LGBCE
Public presentation from LGBCE	31 January 2022	Direct engagement with Maidstone residents about the process of reviewing ward boundaries
Boundary proposals – member engagement event	18 February 2022	Discussion with members about potential boundary changes
Boundary Proposals – member workshop 1	22 February 2022	Workshop to discuss ward boundaries
Boundary Proposals – member workshop 2	28 February 2022	Workshop to discuss ward boundaries
Democracy and General Purposes Committee	9 March 2022	Recommend boundary submission to council
Full council	13 April 2022	Approve boundary proposals to submit to LGBCE