Published on Tuesday 23 October 2018
Ward boundaries for the new Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council have been published by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.
From 1 April 2019 Dorset’s existing nine councils will be disbanded and two new unitary councils will be created. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council will be established and the other six councils in Dorset will be replaced by the new Dorset Council.
The Commission’s electoral review for BCP Council has drawn up wards that will be represented by the new council’s 76 councillors. The arrangements will come into effect at the council’s first elections on 2 May next year.
The Commission’s final recommendations propose that Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’s 76 councillors should represent ten three-councillor wards and twenty-three two-councillor wards.
Cllr Janet Walton, Leader of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Shadow Authority, said: "I am very impressed with the high level of engagement with this consultation and would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond and give their feedback.
"I am pleased to see that the LGBCE has taken into account many of the comments received and the final recommendations contain a number of changes based on the views of the community."
In response to local feedback during the public consultation, the Commission has changed some of the proposals it put forward in July. The changes, and the full recommendations, are available on the Commission’s website at www.lgbce.org.uk
The proposed new arrangements must now be implemented by Parliament. A draft Order – the legal document which brings into force the recommendations – will be laid in Parliament in the coming weeks. The draft Order provides for the electoral arrangements to come into force at the authority’s first elections in 2019.