Residents can comment further on Hedge End Town Council proposals
Consultation on ward boundaries and number of councillors
Local residents have given their views on plans to redraw the boundaries of Hedge End Town Council wards within their area - and change the number of councillors. They now have the opportunity to comment on proposals resulting from the recent consultation.
The Community Governance Review (CGR), a four-week public consultation, took place in August. CGRs take place to ensure that residents who are able to vote (the electorate) are evenly and fairly represented by councillors in their area.
Ninety-six responses were received on the proposals and were considered by Eastleigh Borough Council’s Administration Committee earlier this month (the Borough Council is conducting the review on behalf of Hedge End Town Council). Recommendations from the committee are now being put out to further consultation, which starts on Monday 26 September.
Hedge End Town Council currently has nine wards, represented by 22 Town Councillors who are elected every four years. The review suggested that the nine wards were combined to create four wards, which would be given new names. It is also proposed the four wards are represented by 18 Town Councillors, creating a more equal balance between councillors and electors.
The main findings from the public survey were that: 75% of respondents agree that the nine wards should be combined to create four; 59% agree that the number of councillors should reduce from 22 to 18; and 68% agreed to the proposed names of the new wards of Kings Copse, Village, Berry and Park.
The review looked at the boundaries of the wards within the Hedge End Town Council area, as well as the number of councillors within each ward, and the names of those wards. The review did not be looking to change boundaries between Hedge End and other parishes (warding is the division of an area for the purpose of electing councillors).
The recommendations will now be the subject of a further two-week consultation and local residents can give their views via an online survey from Monday 26 September to Sunday 9 October 2022.
More details can be found at www.eastleigh.gov.uk/HedgeEndCGR. A link to the further consultation can be found on that page from Monday 26 September.