Council boundary changes put out to public scrutiny
12-week consultation to decide new wards
Residents are being asked for their views on proposed new council wards for the borough.
Boundary changes for Maidstone Borough Council are being discussed by the Local Government Boundary Commission and people living in the town and surrounding areas have 12 weeks to give their thoughts on plans.
The consultation will run until September 28 this year.
The commission, an independent body which draws the boundaries, is reviewing Maidstone to make sure councillors will represent a similar number of electors and that ward arrangements will help the local authority work effectively.
It proposes there should be 23 wards, consisting of seven three-councillor wards, 12 two-councillor wards, and four single councillor wards.
One ward will remain the same, the rest will have different boundaries.
Proposed changes include preventing Lenham parish from being split between wards and instead be placed in Harrietsham, Lenham & North Downs ward containing the parishes of Harrietsham, Lenham, Hollingbourne, Hucking, Bicknor, Stockbury, Wormshill, Frinsted, Wichling and Otterden.
North Loose, Loose parish and Linton parish will be combined in Loose & Linton ward, following persuasive evidence regarding community links in this area.
Launching the consultation, Prof Colin Mellors, chairman of the commission, said: “We want people in Maidstone to help us.
“We have drawn up proposals for new wards in Maidstone. We want to make sure these new electoral arrangements reflect communities.
“We also want them to be easy to understand and convenient for local people.
“Residents and local organisations can help us do that. We would like them to let us know whether they agree with our proposals before we take final decisions.
“It’s easy to get involved. Go to our website. Or you can e-mail or write to us.
“Just tell us what you think and give us some details why you think that. It’s really simple, so do get involved”
Visit www.tinyurl.com/maidstoneboundaries for more details on the proposals and comment or write to reviews@ lgbce.org.uk or by post to The Review Officer (Maidstone), LGBCE, PO Box 133, Blyth, NE24 9FE.
‘We have drawn up proposals and want to make sure these new arrangements reflect communities’