The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE), approached the Council in 2019 with the intention of conducting a review of the electoral warding arrangements in Mid Devon.

As the number of inhabitants within ward areas increase over time, local authorities in England are required to undergo an electoral review to ensure fair representation is maintained between councillors and their electorates.

Adjustments to Mid Devon’s existing ward boundaries were recommended by the LGBCE as part of the Draft Recommendations phase and previously scheduled for public consultation between 4 February and 13 April 2020. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, the Commission has now reopened and extended the consultation for the Draft Recommendations phase following accessibility improvements to guarantee effective levels of consultation.

Submissions will be accepted over the next six weeks, until 20 July, to reflect the time the consultation had been open while ‘lockdown’ was in place.

The draft recommendations propose that:

• Mid Devon should be represented by 42 councillors, the same number as present
• Mid Devon should have 21 wards, three fewer than there are now
• The boundaries of all wards should change

 

The public can continue to view the proposed changes via an interactive map which shows existing and proposed boundaries, as well as leave comments and suggest alternative boundaries on the Commission’s consultation portal. Alternatively, comments can be emailed to reviews@lgbce.org.uk or posted to:

LGBCE c/o
Innovation House
Coniston Court
Riverside Business Park
Blyth
NE24 4RP

An amended timeline of the remaining phases of the review is as follows: 

• Draft Recommendations Consultation Restarts: 08/06/2020
• Draft Recommendations Consultation Ends: 19/07/2020
• Final Recommendations Published: 29/09/2020

 

Information about how the Commission is proceeding with the review will be made available on its webpage at:

https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/south-west/devon/mid-devon

For more information, see the Council's press release dated 5 February 2020 - Electoral Review: Have Your Say.