By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
Rushcliffe Borough Council will continue to have 44 councillors following a review from the Boundary Commission.
But a number of changes have been made to the boundaries of specific council wards in response to submissions by residents in a local consultation.
From May next year, there will be 24 wards with either one, two or three councillors per ward – depending on the population density of each area.
This is down from 25 wards previously, with a number of wards staying the same in terms of the level of councillor representation, some wards removed and others being created.
The Abbey ward will have its councillors increased from two to three, while Bingham East and Bingham West will become Bingham North and Bingham South – each continuing to have two councillors.
There will also be one single Gamston ward, rather than two separate wards for north and south, with two councillors continuing to represent the area under one ward.
Gotham will see its councillor number rise from one to two, while the Lutterell and Trent Bridge wards will see their councillor number decrease from two to one.
Two new wards – both with one councillor – have will be created, named Newton and Soar Valley.
But the Sutton Bonington and Thoroton wards – both represented by one councillor – will no longer exist under the new boundaries.
Areas to remain the same include the Bunny, Cranmer, Cropwell, East Bridgford, Nevile and Langar, and Tollerton wards, which will continue to have one councillor from May next year.
The Compton Acres, Edwalton, Lady Bay and Musters wards will continue to have two councillors, with Cotgrave, Keyworth and Wolds, Leake, Radcliffe on Trent and Ruddington continuing to have three.
Speaking in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (June 14), Councillor Andy Edyvean, deputy leader of the council, said some changes will address “anomalies” in population growth across the borough.
He said: “When you look over all the changes in the boundaries, there are a few anomalies that we could all wonder about.
“But at the end of the day, the Boundary Commission is an independent body, it’s non-political and that’s important.
“Overall, by 2027 I believe, the anomalies in population across the borough will be much more aligned to having an average of 2,400 voters per councillor with the amount of development going on in the borough.”
Cllr Simon Robinson, leader of the council, added: “The process of this review is very much about fairness and representation, with councillors, the public and parish councils very much participating in the review.”
The changes follow a public consultation that received 164 comments and submissions from residents and organisations, which helped to decide on the new ward boundaries.
Publishing the recommendations last month, Professor Colin Mellors, chair of the Boundary Commission, said: “We are very grateful to people in Rushcliffe.
“We looked at all the views they gave us. They helped us improve our earlier proposals.
“We believe the new arrangements will guarantee electoral fairness while maintaining local ties.”
The revised wards must now be approved by Parliament, with the new arrangements to apply for the local elections in May next year.
