September 2019 Summary Report The full report and detailed maps: consultation.lgbce.org.uk www.lgbce.org.uk @LGBCE Who we are: ■ The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is an independent body set up by Parliament. ■ We are not part of government or any political party. ■ We are accountable to Parliament through a committee of MPs chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons. ■ Our main role is to carry out electoral reviews of local authorities throughout England. Our proposals: ■ Halton Borough Council currently has 56 councillors. Based on the evidence we received, we recommend that 54 councillors should serve the borough in the future. ■ We believe our final recommendations meet our statutory criteria to: (1) Deliver electoral equality for voters. (2) Reflect community interests and identities. (3) Promote effective and convenient local government. Why Halton Borough Council? ■ Halton Borough Council currently has high levels of electoral inequality: some councillors represent many more - or many fewer - voters than others. ■ Therefore the value of your vote, in 2019 council elections, varies depending on where you live in Halton. ■ We are seeking to improve levels of electoral equality for local voters Halton Borough Council Final recommendations on the new electoral arrangements What happens next? We have now completed our review of Halton Borough Council. The recommendations must now be approved by Parliament. A draft order - the legal document which brings into force our recommendations - will be laid in Parliament. Subject to parliamentary scrutiny, the new electoral arrangements will come into force at the local elections in May 2020. Our recommendations: The table lists all the wards we are proposing as part of our final recommendations along with the number of voters in each ward. The table also shows the electoral variances for each of the proposed wards, which tells you how we have delivered electoral equality. Finally, the table includes electorate projections for 2024, so you can see the impact of the recommendations for the future. Electoral review: An electoral review examines and proposes new electoral arrangements for a local authority, including: ■ The total number of councillors representing the council’s voters (‘council size’). ■ The names, number and boundaries of wards or electoral divisions. ■ The number of councillors for each ward or division. Ward Name: Number of Councillors: Electorate (2018): Number of Electors per Councillor: Variance from average % Electorate (2024): Number of Electors per Councillor: Variance from Average % Appleton 3 4,902 1,634 -9% 5,069 1,690 -9% Bankfield 3 5,280 1,760 -2% 5,121 1,707 -8% Beechwood & Heath 3 6,116 2,039 14% 6,043 2,014 8% Birchfield 3 6,045 2,015 13% 5,880 1,960 6% Bridgewater 3 5,727 1,909 7% 6,085 2,028 9% Central & West Bank 3 4,983 1,661 -7% 5,075 1,692 -9% Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoore 3 3,334 1,111 -38% 6,238 2,079 12% Ditton, Hale Village & Halebank 3 5,265 1,755 -2% 5,177 1,726 -7% Farnworth 3 6,034 2,011 13% 6,031 2, 010 8% Grange 3 5,980 1,993 11% 5,785 1,928 4% Halton Castle 3 4,923 1,641 -8% 5,156 1,719 -7% Halton Lea 3 5,102 1,701 -5% 5,823 1,941 5% Halton View 3 5,338 1,779 0% 5,269 1,756 -5% Highfield 3 5,225 1,742 -3% 5,078 1,693 -9% Hough Green 3 5,581 1,860 4% 5,454 1,818 -2% Mersey & Weston 3 5,752 1,917 7% 6,020 2,007 8% Norton North 3 5,819 1,940 8% 5,906 1,969 6% Norton South & Preston Brook 3 5,136 1,712 -4% 5,082 1,694 -9% Totals: 54 96,542 - - 100,292 - - Averages: - - 1,788 - - 1,857 -