Update - Council ward changes approved (From Hereford Times)

Update - Council ward changes approved

8:00am Friday 4th January 2013 in News

HEREFORDSHIRE is set for a reduction in the number of councillors at the next election after controversial changes were passed today.

A majority of councillors approved the Boundary Commission's draft recommendations for single member wards during a heated session at the authority’s Brockington HQ this morning.

Five members are now set to be lost across the county as numbers drop from 58 to 53 to address an imbalance in the amount of voters per ward.

The idea was challenged, however, by many members representing Herefordshire’s market towns who disagreed that urban wards should be broken up.

The idea to reduce the number of councillors was passed by 30 votes to 16.

However, a motion asking the commission to consider multi-member wards in some areas, put forward by Councillor Felicity Norman, was thrown out by just one vote.

A separate recommendation to accept the ward arrangements, which include splitting Ledbury into three wards as well as combining part of Leominster with Kimbolton, were passed - again by just one vote.

The Local Government Boundary Commission will deliver its final national recommendations to Parliament this Spring.