Plans for new North Northamptonshire boundary map revealed

Ward boundary changes usually happen on the first Thursday in May each year to coincide with local elections

A consultation to decide the future ward boundaries of North Northamptonshire has opened to residents and businesses.

The shake-up came after the Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBCE) decided the number of councillors for the district should be reduced from 78 to 70.

A new pattern of wards will make sure councillors represent around the same number of electors, the LGBCE said.

The consultation will run for 10 weeks.

Ward boundary changes are usually made on the first Thursday in May each year to coincide with local government elections, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The next local election for North Northamptonshire will be May 2025.

The LGBCE, an independent body that draws up the boundaries, said new arrangements would help the council work more effectively.

North Northamptonshire Council is based in Kettering

Feedback on what parks, leisure centres or schools people share and the issues that neighbouring communities face are welcome, it said.

The consultation also aims to find out if there are any features, like roads, rivers and railways, that form strong boundaries between neighbouring communities, or if any new housing developments had shifted the focus of communities.

Another round of consultations will be opened once the new ward proposals have been drawn up.

Professor Colin Mellors, chair of the LGBCE, said the commission wanted the proposals to "reflect communities".

He said: "Residents and local organisations can help us understand community ties and identities at this early stage of the process."

The consultation on the proposals, which opened on 29 November, will run until 6 February 2023.

The West Northamptonshire ward boundaries consultation closed on 7 November.

The LGBCE was now in the process of drawing up a new pattern of wards for 77 councillors and its draft recommendations will be published on 7 February 2023.

Under the previous ward map, there were 93 councillors across 31 wards.