Have your say on a new political map for Rochdale Borough Council 

The ward boundaries for the borough of Rochdale are being reviewed by the Local Government Boundary Commission, and residents are being asked for their views.

The Local Government Boundary Commission, the independent body that draws up the ward boundaries, is reviewing Rochdale Borough Council to ensure councillors represent about the same number of electors, and that ward arrangements help the council work effectively.

Boundary reviews are taking place at every council across Greater Manchester, conducted to see whether boundaries of council wards or divisions within a local authority need to be altered. Rochdale Council has not had an electoral review since 2003.

As part of the review, Rochdale Council submitted a report to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England in March recommending that the borough should remain at 20 wards with three councillors per ward:

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/133395/council-report-recommends-keeping-60-councillors-and-20-wards

The 10-week public consultation on local ward boundary proposals in Rochdale will run until 31 August.

Local residents’ views will help the new ward boundary proposals, such as:

• Which communities should be part of the same ward?
• What facilities do people share, such as parks, leisure centres or schools and shopping areas?
• What issues do neighbouring communities face that they have in common, such as high numbers of visitors or heavy traffic?
• Have there been new housing or commercial developments that have changed the focus of communities?
• Are there roads, rivers, railways or other features that you believe form strong boundaries between neighbourhoods?

Launching the consultation, Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said: “We want people in Rochdale to help us. We are starting to draw up new wards for Rochdale. We want our proposals for new electoral arrangements to reflect communities. We also want them to be easy to understand and convenient for local people.

“Residents and local organisations can help us understand community ties and identities at this early stage of the process. Just tell us what you think and give us some details why you think that.

“It’s really simple, so do get involved.”

There will be a further round of consultation once the proposals have been drawn up.

You can give your views here: https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/21053/

Alternatively, you can email at reviews@lgbce.org.uk, or write by post:

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