Leader's Blog

Councillor Brenda Warrington, Executive Leader of Tameside Council

Have Your Say on the Future of Democracy in Tameside

Friday, 11 June 2021

Over the next 10 weeks, you will be able to have your say on the future of democracy in Tameside by commenting on the plans to redraw the electoral map of the borough.

The draft proposals have been written up by The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE). This organisation has the power to conduct boundary, electoral and structural reviews of local government areas and is independent of any government or political party.

An electoral review takes a look at the current arrangements for a local authority, and decides how many wards or electoral divisions there should be, where their boundaries are and what they should be called. The review also determines how many councillors are needed, both for the borough as a whole and for each ward. Put simply, the recommendations of the LGBCE will decide which ward you vote in, the name of that ward, and how many councillors you’re represented by. It’s important to note as well that this process is separate from the recently announced Parliamentary Boundary Review, which will determine the numbers and constituencies of MPs for future national elections.

All electoral reviews are carried out by the LGBCE with the aim of making sure that the number of residents represented by each councillor is approximately the same, that all their recommendations reflect the identity and makeup of our communities, and that any final proposals support effective and convenient local government. To make sure that that any future population growth is taken into account, the recommendations are based not only on how many people are in Tameside and its electoral wards now, but also on how many there are likely to be in five years’ time.

So what does all that actually mean for Tameside? In terms of the number of councillors, the LGBCE decided that the best way we can perform our duties and represent our voters is to retain three members per ward, giving a total of 57 councillors. At the current electorate of 171,989, this means that each councillor will represent 3,017 residents on average. This will increase to 3,157 residents per councillors by 2026 as Tameside’s population is projected to rise to 179,962.

In terms of the makeup of the wards themselves, 18 out of the current 19 will be changed to a greater or lesser extent to better reflect current population densities and local communities. These are based on suggestions by Tameside Council from our knowledge of the local area and feedback from our residents, and the LGBCE have agreed with the majority of them aside from a few minor alterations. The complete list of changes can be found on the LGBCE website here. However, one of the most significant changes is finally uniting Hattersley within the Longdendale ward. This definitively ends the current situation of the town being split down the middle between the Longdendale and Hyde Godley wards.

The consultation on the proposed boundary changes in Tameside will run until 9 August 2021. After this point the LGBCE will analyse the submissions and form their final recommendations, with a view to publishing them no later than 2 November 2021. Once approved by Parliament, the new arrangements are due to take effect no later than the May 2023 local elections.

There are a number of ways to have your say, including on LGBCE website’s dedicated page here, by e-mailing your views to reviews@lgbce.org.uk, or posting your response to “Review Officer (Tameside), Local Government Boundary Commission for England, PO Box 133, Blyth, NE24 9FE”. All you need to do is tell them what you think and give them some details on why you think it. So don’t be afraid to get involved and help decide what democracy will look like in your community.

Posted by: Executive Leader