Ribble Valley Ward Boundaries

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England has published its final recommendations for new electoral arrangements for Ribble Valley Borough Council.

The Commission’s final recommendations propose that Ribble Valley should be represented by 40 borough councillors in the future: the same as the current arrangement. The recommendations also propose that those councillors should represent fourteen two-councillor wards and twelve one-councillor wards across the borough.

In response to local feedback during consultation, the Commission has made changes to its draft recommendations. For example, In its draft proposals, the Commission had included the parish of Bowland Forest Lower Division in a Waddington ward and had included the parishes of Great Mitton and Little Mitton in a Hurst Green and Mitton ward. Given the strength of evidence about local community ties in this part of the borough, the Commission has changed its recommendations so that Bowland Forest Lower Division will be part of a Hurst Green and Whitewell ward whilst the parishes of Great Mitton and Little Mitton will be part of the Waddington, Bashall Eaves and Mitton ward.

The Commission has also renamed its proposed West Bradford ward as West Bradford and Grindleton ward to reflect local evidence submitted during the consultation phase of the review.

The full details of the final recommendations are available on the commission’s website.

The new arrangements were implemented by Parliament. The Order – the legal document which brings into force the recommendations – was laid in Parliament in December 2017. The Order provides for the new electoral arrangements to come into force at the council elections in 2019.

The new boundaries will help deliver electoral equality for voters in council elections by ensuring each councillor represents roughly the same number of voters.

Residents and organisations in Ribble Valley were invited to have their say on changes to the borough’s ward boundaries. This initial consultation closed on 30 January 2017. The submitted responses are available to view on the Local Government Boundary Commission for England website. The Council’s submitted response to the consultation can be downloaded.