The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is a parliamentary body responsible for conducting reviews of local authority electoral arrangements. They also conduct reviews of the structure of local government, and the external boundaries of local authorities.
The LGBCE is currently conducting an electoral review of Wiltshire Council. The LGBCE consultation portal for the review can be found at this link.
This is the first electoral review to take place in Wiltshire since the creation of the unitary council in 2009. Any changes will not come into effect until the 2021 Wiltshire Council elections.
Wiltshire Council has set up a politically proportionate Electoral Review Committee to prepare responses to the stages of the electoral review as found at this link.
Technical guidance
The LGBCE provides a technical guidance page for those who wished to participate in electoral reviews at this link. It includes guidance on reviews generally, and how members of the public can respond on specific stages of the review.
The LGBCE visited Wiltshire on 28 November 2017. They gave presentations on the electoral review to Wiltshire councillors. The following additional documents are available to download:
Due to requests for additional information from the LGBCE, the dates listed for each stage of the review within the above documents are no longer correct. The deadline for the next phase is listed below.
What is covered by the electoral review?
The electoral review will examine Wiltshire Council’s electoral arrangements and cover the following areas:
A principal aim of the review is to deliver electoral equality across the local authority. It aims to do this by ensuring that all councillors represent a similar number of voters.
The LGBCE is required by law to be impartial, with its decisions based on evidence and reason. The representations of all those taking part in the review are treated equally and without bias. The final decisions are taken by Parliament on the recommendation of the LGBCE.
Before the LGBCE determine a pattern of future divisions it must first come to a view on the appropriate number of councillors necessary to provide effective and convenient local government.
Full Council, on the recommendation of the Electoral Review Committee, submitted a proposal for a council size of 99 to apply from 2021, an increase of one councillor. The following documents are available for download:
On 28 August 2018 the LGBCE announced that it was minded to propose a council size of 98 councillors, a retention of its current size. A consultation on a pattern of electoral divisions will now take place and runs until 5 November 2018.
Although the number of divisions is unchanged, the shape of the divisions will still require significant change.