Barton-le-Clay ward boundary change afoot

Barton-le-Clay is due to lose Bushmead, Sharpenhoe, Streatley and Sundon as it shrinks to become a one Member ward with effect from May 2011, serving the residents of Barton-le-Clay alone.

This is not what the Liberal Democrats had proposed; we'd suggested adding Pulloxhill, most of whose children attend the Barton-le-Clay schools, in order to make the small adjustment needed to keep the ward a two-member one. But the Boundary Commission ruled otherwise, ignoring our views and those of Streatley Parish Council that had also written to the Boundary Commission asking to remain within the Barton-le-Clay ward owing to shared services and resources, again not least the schools.

Overall, new arrangements are that newly recommended electoral arrangements for Central Bedfordshire will see a reduction in the number of councillors from 66 to 59 and ward boundaries redrawn.Other planned changes include:

Central Bedfordshire Council will consist of 31 electoral wards.
These will be made up of 9 three-member wards, 10 two-member wards and 12 single-member wards. This contrasts with the current arrangement of 5 four-member wards and 23 two-member wards.
The final recommendations contain revisions not only to the council’s ward arrangements but consequently to parish ward arrangements for the parishes of Biggleswade, Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Leighton-Linslade.
The number of councillors in the newly drawn ward boundaries has been based on the size of the electorate in 2008 and the projected electorate size in 2015.

Parliament must now implement the proposed new arrangements and an Order – the legal document which brings into force the recommendations – will be laid in Parliament in the coming weeks.
The draft Order allows for the new electoral arrangements to come into force for the next council elections in May 2011.