Council to Ask Parliamentary Body Not to Change Number of Councillors in Review

Westmorland and Furness Councillors will meet next Thursday (11th July) to approve a submission to the local government boundary commission who are due to start a full review of the council ward boundaries and number of councillors in August.

The councillors will be asked to approve a response from the council to the Local Government Boundary Commission to keep the number of councillors at the current 65 and not increase or decrease the number from the current 65 councillors.

The review will include a public consultation and could despite the council’s request see the number of councillors change along with the number of wards in the council along with the areas and boundaries of the wards at the next council elections in May 2027.

The consultation is expected to start on the 27th of August and run until the 4th of November followed by a second consultation on the Draft recommendations of the Local government Boundary Commission due in March 2025 with the final changes published by September 2025 and implemented in May 2027 when all Westmorland and Furness Council seats are next up for election.

Neighbouring Cumberland Council has only 45 councillors with 45 wards despite having a higher number of electorates in the council area and per councillor the commission will also be starting a review of Cumberland Council later this year.

The commission has the power to reshape the council wards and council through its review that could see additional councillors and wards created in Penrith due to the number of electors per current ward and ratio of electorate to councillors that are currently served by two wards with two councillors per ward in Penrith while some wards in the council have three councillors and others just one.

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