The City of London Corporation is undertaking a review of the internal boundaries of the City’s wards. This review will look at the electoral arrangements for the City’s 25 wards. In 1999, as part of the debate around legislation to reform the City’s franchise, the City Corporation gave an undertaking to Parliament to conduct a review of ward boundaries once the new electoral arrangements were in place. That review was completed in 2003.
The City Corporation also undertook to look at the boundaries once again within a period of not less than six years. This time is now upon us.
The previous review was comprehensive and far-reaching, reflecting the historic changes in the City’s franchise. This review will in effect be a ‘stock-take’ of the current arrangements, looking to see what if any further changes are needed to reflect the continued development of the City and if there are strong feelings from Members, residents or businesses for particular boundary issues to be addressed.
The Review will be undertaken by a panel consisting of the Town Clerk and Chief Executive, the Recorder of London and the Common Serjeant (the two most senior judges at the Old Bailey) which will, at the end of the review, present its findings to the City’s Policy and Resources Committee. This will, in turn, submit any recommendations for approval of the Court of Common Council, the City Corporation’s main decision-making body.
Timetable
Stage 1 – Public Consultation
26 October – 18 December 2009
From 26 October until 18 December, the City invites interested parties to make submissions to the boundary review.
Stage Two – Review Panel Meeting
January 2010
The Review Panel will meet in January to consider responses received and make draft recommendations.
Stage Three – Public Consultation
February – April 2010
The draft recommendations will be published and circulated for full consultation. All interested parties will be given the opportunity to submit their views on the draft proposals. This period of consultation will run from 15 February until 2 April 2010.
Stage Four – Recommendation
May 2010
The Review Panel will meet again to consider representations on its draft recommendations. These will be made available for a further public consultation. The Policy and Resources Committee will then consider the final proposals and any further representations on them before final consideration by the Court of Common Council.
Making your voice heard
The review's objectives are:
- To review the current ward boundaries in accordance with our undertakings to Parliament, having regard to any changes in the number of business or residential voters in the individual wards since 2003
- To preserve the residential character of the wards of Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Queenhithe and Portsoken, as laid out in the City Corporation’s undertakings to Parliament
- To take account of the interests of local communities through two periods of public consultation and facilitate effective local governance including a review of the allocation of Members between wards.
Please write to the Town Clerk and Chief Executive at the following address
The Town Clerk and Chief Executive
City of London Corporation
PO Box 270
Guildhall
London EC2P 2EJ
or email wardboundaryreview@cityoflondon.gov.uk
The deadline for the first round of consultation is Friday 18 December 2009:
