The below has been received from Dacorum Borough Council:
Yesterday was the start of a 10-week public consultation inviting proposals for new council wards and ward boundaries for Dacorum Borough Council.
Our consultation will close on 15 July 2024.
After we have considered all representations made to us during this consultation, we intend to publish draft recommendations in October 2024.
We will then hold a further period of consultation on our draft recommendations. Our final recommendations are expected to be published in April 2025.
The new electoral arrangements will come into effect at the local elections in 2027.
If you represent a local organisation or community group in Dacorum, please pass this message on to your members or anyone who you think might be interested in the review. You can share the message by email or through social media by using the buttons at the bottom right of the page.
What is an electoral review?
Our electoral review will recommend new electoral arrangements for Dacorum Borough Council. We will propose:
• the total number of councillors elected to the council in the future;
• the number of wards;
• the number of councillors representing each ward;
• ward boundaries; and
• the names of wards.
How to get involved
This is a public consultation and we welcome views from individuals and organisations across Dacorum on where they think new ward boundaries should be drawn.
We are minded to recommend that 51 councillors should be elected to Dacorum Borough Council in the future.
We are now inviting proposals to help us draw up a pattern of wards to accommodate 51 councillors.
In drawing up new electoral wards, we must balance three legal criteria, namely:
• to deliver electoral equality: where each councillor represents roughly the same number of electors as others across the borough;
• that the pattern of wards should, as far as possible, reflect the interests and identities of local communities;
• that the electoral arrangements should provide for effective and convenient local government.
We will treat all submissions equally, and judge each case on its merits and against the legal criteria.
If you wish to put forward a view, we would also urge you to ensure that evidence supports your submission.
For example, if you wish to argue that two areas should be included in the same electoral ward, make sure you tell us why they should be together, providing evidence about community facilities, ties, organisations, and amenities, rather than simply asserting that they belong together.
There is more advice on our website about how you can get involved in the consultation.
Our website features technical guidance that explains the process and our policies, as well as guidance on how to take part in each part of the process.
We have also set up a webpage dedicated to the review of Dacorum, where you can find all the relevant information, access interactive maps of the current ward boundaries, and give your views.
Get in touch
We welcome comments on warding arrangements by 15 July 2024. Representations should be made:
– Through our website
– By email to reviews@lgbce.org.uk
– Or in writing to Review Officer (Dacorum), Local Government Boundary Commission for England, PO Box 133, Blyth, NE24 9FE