Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Luke Court and Monica Stringfellow.  Councillor Sharon Harvey was substitute for Councillor Stringfellow.

To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED that

the minutes of the meeting of the Electoral Matters Committee held on 13^th December 2023 be approved as a true and accurate record and signed by the Chair.

The Committee considered a report which set out proposals by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) for revised County Council electoral divisions in the Borough.  The consultation on the proposals was open until 18^th March.  Officers had identified two areas where the proposed division boundaries were not coterminous with recently agreed polling district boundaries.

In Redditch Central/Redditch East the LGBCE proposals would result in there being two polling districts NRB 1 and NRB 2 in different county council divisions.  It was suggested that the boundary was moved so that the whole of polling district NRC with 1,271 electors – Church Hill North would be within the proposed Redditch East division. The boundary would also be moved so that the whole of polling district NRB with 791 electors – Papermill was within the proposed Redditch Central division.

In Redditch West/Redditch South it was suggested that if the boundary was moved north to encompass Morton Stanley Park and Redditch Golf Course the boundary of polling district WCD – Callow Hill – would then be co-terminus with the division boundary.  This would move 27 electors Members from Redditch West to Redditch South division.  Members supported this suggestion as it improved the efficient administration of elections.

During consideration of the Redditch West/Redditch South proposal, a Member raised the impact on electoral equality of the LGBCE proposals for Wirehill, which would move into Redditch South.  This affected 700 electors.  Having considered the net result of the changes in overall elector numbers in each division, members concluded that they would not wish to make a submission relating to the Wirehill proposals.

It was proposed by Councillor Peter Fleming, seconded by Councillor Juliet Barker Smith and

RESOLVED that

1.     That the contents of the report be noted, and

2.     Officers make a submission on behalf of the Council to the consultation on proposals for County Council electoral divisions being undertaken by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as set out in the report, relating to Redditch Central/Redditch East and Redditch West/Redditch South electoral divisions.