Cheddar electoral boundaries: Fears that rush to redraw could cause widespread 'gerrymandering'

Somerset councillors have warned that attempts to quickly redraw the county's electoral boundaries could lead to widespread "gerrymandering".

Work is under way to create a new unitary authority to replace Somerset County Council and the four district councils by April 2023, following a decision by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in late-July.

The five existing councils had all spoken in favour of retaining the existing electoral boundaries for the May 2022 local elections, with a view to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) conducting a full review after the new council formally took office.

But the government has now ordered the councils to think again, giving them less than two months to redraw the electoral map – and prompting accusations that any new boundaries would discriminate against particular settlements or parties.

A briefing was circulated to all South Somerset District Council ward members before a full council meeting in Yeovil on Thursday evening (August 19), confirming the government's intention for a truncated boundary review.

A spokesman said: "The elections team will work to identify draft electoral divisions for the new authority. The MHCLG advised there should be 'fewer than 100' councillors.

"Time is short, with an October deadline. We may submit two to four alternatives, but the decision rests with the LGBCE.

"The elections will be arranged for May 2022 with new boundaries, but these may not have been confirmed until late-March 2022."

Anyone elected at the May 2022 elections will sit on the new unitary council, whose formal name has not yet been confirmed.

However, any sitting district and county councillors will remain in their current position until these authorities are formally dissolved in April 2023.

Both the county and district councils had proposed the 2022 elections be conducted using the county division boundaries (as opposed to the district ward boundaries) and "doubling up" the number of councillors elected from 55 to 110.

Councillor Sue Osborne, vice-chair of the South Somerset scrutiny committee, said this remained the best course of action.

She said: "People feel very strongly about their places, where they identify to – and a blundering boundary commission could get it seriously, seriously wrong, and we will be lumbered with that with years to come.

"Surely it's far better to come out with a sensible boundary solution now – what's wrong with doubling up? – and then doing a proper, democratic review in 2023 which everybody can sign up to.

"There is a real risk that things will happen that will upset everybody and satisfy no-one."

Mendip District Council ward members also complained about the proposed boundary changes when the council's scrutiny board convened in Shepton Mallet on Tuesday evening (August 17).

Councillor Chris Inchley, who chairs the board, said: "If you have 80 councillors, for example, with equalised wards, what is the methodology to make sure that gerrymandering doesn't take place – for instance, where certain streets in Shepton Mallet are pushed into a parish somewhere?"

Councillor Nick Cottle said: "I regard Glastonbury and Street being together in one division as not being a very suitable situation at any time.

"I'm very worried that if we go into this new administration, there will be no active voice for Glastonbury on the unitary."

Council leader Ros Wyke added: "To try and alter political boundaries is not something you would want to do without public consultation and all the appropriate processes being in place. This is just unbelievable."

Somerset is one of three local government areas which are moving to unitary status – the others being Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

While Cumbria's councils have launched a judicial review against the government's decision, Somerset's district councils have decided against this course of action.

South Somerset leader Val Keitch told the full council on Thursday evening (August 19) that there was "a willingness among all five councils to work together", and that meetings held to date had been "very cordial".

She said: "We're not going to sit back and say: 'well, we didn't win so we're going to take our ball home' – because that doesn't help the council or the people of Somerset."