Plan to axe 13 councillors in Blackburn with Darwen and redraw boundaries

A review of the size and number of the borough’s wards will begin in November with agreed changes taking effect at the next local elections in spring 2018.

The ruling Labour group are looking at cutting the 64 councillors across 23 wards to just 51 across 17 three member divisions.

The main Conservative opposition is proposing 54 political representatives across 18 wards while the Liberal Democrats expect to see the final total of councillors fall to ‘the low 50s’.

Community leaders welcomed the review.

Blackburn with Darwen currently has 23 wards: 19 of those are represented by three councillors; Earcroft, Whitehall and North Turton with Tockholes are represented by two councils and a lone single councillor represents East Rural.

The Local Government Boundary Commission has been tasked with reducing the size of the council, reducing inequalities in the number of voters between wards and making all area represented by three members.

The review will lead to the often controversial redrawing, merging and renaming of wards.

Borough deputy leader, Cllr Andy Kay, said: “We shall bring proposals to the October full council forum for debate before submitting them to the commission.

“Currently the Labour group is looking at 51 councillors across 17 three member wards.

“We are keen to keep the quality of representation for residents but are aware of the costs involved and the burden on council tax payers.”

Council Tory group leader, Cllr John Slater, said: “We welcome the proposal to reduce the number of councillors and the costs involved.

“We currently favour 54 councillors across 18 wards in case there is surge in voters in the future because of the borough’s young population.

“The Tory group will be putting forward its own proposals.”

Liberal Democrat leader, Cllr David Foster, whose Whitehall ward will be redrawn and possibly abolished, said: “We are happy with this review.

“I would expect the final number of councillors to be in the low 50s.

“We have no problems with the reduction of the move to all wards have three members even though it affects Whitehall.”

Apart from the initial 2018 election of all councillors, the borough will revert to electing one third of councillors at each local poll.

Blackburn with Darwen Older People’s Forum chairman Brian Todd, who in February called for the number of councillors to be cut by a third, welcomed the proposals and backed the 51 councillor option.

He said: “I welcome this proposal to cut the number of councillors and save cash.

“I personally would go for the 51 councillor option.

“That will do for a start.”

This size of council would see the £500,000 a year bill for councillors expenses, allowances and town hall support cut by between £100,00 and £150,000 annually.

The review has been triggered by the wider disparity in the size of wards in the borough ranging from the smallest of 3,790 voters in Mill Hill to 5,674 in Audley, the largest.

It only affects Blackburn with Darwen but may, in concert with a review of East Lancashire constituency boundaries, have a knock on effect on Darwen Town Council which currently has 13 members from five wards.

The reduction in the borough electoral from 104,000 to around 90,000, expected to fall further because of individual voter registration, which will also impact the final number of councillors and wards.

After the full council forum in October its proposals and rival blueprints will go to the Local Government Boundary commission in late November for a three month consultation.

It will publish proposals in April next year for further consultation before a final ward map will be published in September.

There will then be an election for all councillors in all wards before Blackburn with Darwen returns to its current pattern of electing one third of councillors, in future one per ward, annually with one year in four without a local poll.

There is no Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council election scheduled for 2017.