The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has extended its open consultation on its review of Somerset Council’s future council ward boundaries for the 2027 local elections, until 4th March. The LGBCE has decided to reduce the number of councillors from 110 to 96, and is reviewing the ward boundaries to ensure each local councillor represents about the same number of electors – see https://www.lgbce.org.uk/news/press-release/have-your-say-new-political-map-somerset-council.
Somerset Council’s Constitution and Governance Committee failed to agree a proposed set of arrangements in January (see item 4 here – CGC 14th January, 2025 so the Council and residents have been given more time. Under the proposals considered by the CGC (see map below, submitted to LGBCE by the Conservative group), the current Frome North division would be split with:
- most of the urban part of current Frome North division in ‘Frome North’ ward (with the old Frome College ward and parts of Frome Berkley Down ward)
- the Frome Innox part of Frome North in an altered ‘Frome West’ ward
- the rural parishes (Berkley, Beckington, Rode, Norton St Philip, Tellisford and Lullington) moving into a new vast ‘North East Somerset’ ward (with 5 other parishes – Hemington, Mells, Great Elm, Buckland Dinham, and Whatley). Some parish councils are concerned that 11 parishes would be very hard for any one councillor to serve well.
Adam Boyden (one of our two existing councillors) has proposed an alternative, to keep the current Frome North (and East and West) divisions largely to their current boundaries, within two-member wards, and moving a small area from East to North, to keep the electorate numbers within 10% of the average. Rode Parish Council is supportive of this proposed alternative.
Anyone can make a submission – click this link to find out more and have your say: https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/somerset
The LGBCE will take any submission into account and draft their own proposals later this year, for public consultation, before making the final decision, before the next local elections in 2027.
