September 2019Summary Report

The full report and detailed maps:consultation.lgbce.org.uk

www.lgbce.org.uk@LGBCE

Who we are:■ The Local Government Boundary Commission forEngland is an independent body set up by Parliament.■ We are not part of government or any political party. ■ We are accountable to Parliament through acommittee of MPs chaired by the Speaker of the Houseof Commons.■ Our main role is to carry out electoral reviews of localauthorities throughout England. Our proposals:

■ Halton Borough Council currently has 56councillors. Based on the evidence we received, werecommend that 54 councillors should serve theborough in the future.■ We believe our final recommendations meet ourstatutory 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 ofelectoral inequality: some councillors represent manymore - or many fewer - voters than others. ■ Therefore the value of your vote, in 2019 councilelections, varies depending on where you live in Halton.■ We are seeking to improve levels of electoral equalityfor local voters

Halton Borough CouncilFinal 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 bringsinto force our recommendations - will be laid in Parliament.

Subject to parliamentary scrutiny, the new electoral arrangements will come into force at the local elections inMay 2020.

Our recommendations:

The table lists all the wards we are proposing as part of our final recommendations along with the number ofvoters in each ward. The table also shows the electoral variances for each of the proposed wards, which tellsyou how we have delivered electoral equality. Finally, the table includes electorate projections for 2024, so youcan see the impact of the recommendations for the future.

Electoral review:An electoral review examines and proposes newelectoral arrangements for a local authority, including:■ The total number of councillors representing thecouncil’s voters (‘council size’).■ The names, number and boundaries of wards orelectoral divisions.■ The number of councillors for each ward or division.

WardName:

Number ofCouncillors:

Electorate(2018):

Number ofElectors perCouncillor:

Variancefromaverage %

Electorate(2024):

Number ofElectors perCouncillor:

VariancefromAverage %

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 & WestBank

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, HaleVillage &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 -

Overview of final recommendationsfor Halton Borough CouncilView this map online and explore it in more detail at:consultation.lgbce.org.ukFollow us on Twitter: @LGBCEIf you are viewing this page online, click on the map to gostraight to our interactive consultation area.

Stage of review Description

26 June - 3 September 2018

Public consultation on new wardboundaries

4 December 2018 - 11 February 2019

Public consultation on draft recommendations

28 May 2019 - 24 June 2019

Public consultation on draft recommendations

3 September 2019 Publication of finalrecommendations

May 2020Subject to parliamentary approval- implementation of newarrangements at local elections

Summary of our recommendations

Our review of Halton’s electoral arrangements was triggered bythe large amount of housing development in the northern part ofWidnes in recent years, which has led to a high level of electoralinequality, meaning that some people’s votes carry less weightthan others’. Our recommendations address both the legacy ofdevelopment in Widnes and the implications of futuredevelopment south of the river.

We recommend that Halton Borough Council should have a totalof 54 councillors, 2 less than there are now. As the Council holdselections by thirds, all wards will have three members.

Residents, particularly those in Hale and Preston Brook,objected to the inclusion of their areas in wards which alsoinclude parts of Widnes and Runcorn respectively. However, wehave made recommendations which consider the best balanceof local views with the legal obligations which govern our work.

An outline of the proposals is shown in the map to the right. Adetailed report on the recommendations and interactivemapping is available on our website at: www.lgbce.org.uk.

Find out more: consultation.lgbce.org.uk:

■ view the map of our recommendations down to streetlevel.■ zoom into the areas that interest you most.■ find more guidance on the review process.■ read the full report of our recommendations.

Key:

1 Appleton2 Bankfield3 Beechwood & Heath4 Birchfield5 Bridgewater6 Central & West Bank7 Daresbury, Moore & Sandymoor8 Ditton, Hale Village & Halebank9 Farnworth10 Grange11 Halton Castle12 Halton Lea13 Halton View14 Highfield15 Hough Green16 Mersey & Weston17 Norton North18 Norton South & Preston Brook

Three-Councillor Ward