Shake-up for coast’s county council electoral boundaries

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is consulting on an electoral review of West Sussex County Council and a draft response has been prepared and was presented to Full Council on Friday July 24.

Major changes in Worthing would see properties on the south side of The Strand transferred from the Northbrook to Goring division, while Angola Road, Ruskin Road, Meredith Road, Thackery Road and Kingsley Close would move from Broadwater to Worthing East along with some households in Dominion Road.

Meanwhile in Arun the northern part of the district Marine ward would be transferred from Bersted to Bognor Regis West & Aldwick, and some polling divisions from Arundel & Wick and Littlehampton Town would move to Littlehampton East.

The Adur district would be the only area to lose a county councillor under the proposals as the Saltings division would be removed and its residents split between the Lancing and Shoreham divisions.

To balance the size of the remaining five divisions Shoreham, Kingston Buci, and Lancing would all transfer some of its households elsewhere.

Kingston Buci would be renamed Shoreham East, and Shoreham would become Shoreham West.

According to the county council report although separated by the mouth of the River Adur, residents of the Shoreham Beach spit gravitated towards community and retail facilities in Shoreham rather than Lancing.

Changes would also see the whole the Southwick ward included in the Southwick county council division.

Adur is represented by three Conservatives and three UKIP councillors; Worthing has one UKIP councillor, two Lib Dems and six Tories; while Arun has four UKIP, three Lib Dem and six Conservative councillors.

In the Chichester district changes would see the Siddlesham parish transferred from the Chichester South division to The Witterings, North Mundam parish would go from Chichester East to Chichester South, and Bostock Road, Graylingwell Drive, Palmersfield Avenue and Kingsmead Avenue from Chichester North to Chichester East.

Meanwhile the division of Fernhurst would be renamed Rother Valley.

The LGBCE is currently holding a consultation on the boundaries, and will then publish draft recommendations in November for another round of consultation.

Max Caller, chair of the commission, said: “We are asking local people and organisations to help us draw up a new pattern of electoral divisions for the whole county.

“We want to hear local views on where people think the focal point of their community is and where the natural boundaries between communities might lie.

“As we draw new boundaries, we will try to ensure that each county councillor represents roughly the same number of voters. We also aim to produce a pattern of divisions that reflects the interests and identities of communities.

“The commission will carefully consider all evidence presented to it during this phase of the review whoever it is from and whether it applies to the whole county or just a small part of it.”

This phase of consultation closes on Monday August 31.

Current division boundaries can be viewed at https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk/node/5384

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