Call for fewer Telford & Wrekin councillors rejected in vote
Increasing workloads mean there should be no change in the number of councillors representing Telford & Wrekin, it has been recommended.
Tory opposition councillors have repeatedly called for the number to be cut from 54 to 40.
But at a meeting of Telford & Wrekin Council they were out-voted.
The meeting agreed that the council should now put the case for a 54-member council to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, which is reviewing the ward structure of Telford & Wrekin.
Councillor Rob Sloan, chairman of the council’s boundary review committee, said all the information had been looked at, including the results of a workload survey among councillors.
He said: “We have come down to the existing number of 54 councillors but accept each councillor will have a growing number of voters to look after because of the growing nature of the borough. This is just a vote on the number we give to the commission.”
Conservative leader Andrew Eade said: “We have looked at a different model and compared that to the way we did things before and we think there is a compelling case for reducing the number of councillors down to 40.
“We will be making a separate submission to the Boundary Commission to consider the options.”
Labour Councillor Angela McClements said she had originally thought a reduction was a good idea but had changed her mind because of their increasing workload.
Comments for: "Call for fewer Telford & Wrekin councillors rejected in vote"
Roger
Do Turkeys vote for Christmas?
Surely they each and everyone of them have to declare an interest and abstain? So it is, legally, not possible to ever have a quarum and this vote was a nonsense from the start.
Such a proposal can only be voted on by another organisation, like an enabling vote in parliament and the boundaries redrawn by the boundaries commission, and imposed subject to appeal in parliament.
Peter
I am sure if the tables turn and labour lose power, they will be calling for fewer councillors in the blink of an eye.
pete
fewer unqualified voices is an obvious benefit for local governance and the public purse in allowances but no Labour council would support that would they , just keep giving 10% to the party lads , representing the views of the working classes eh?