Agenda item

Report of the Chief Legal Officer

The City Council considered a report of the Chief Legal Officer which sought Council’s views on whether or not to submit a response to the consultation on warding patterns.

The Local Government Boundary Commission had commenced an electoral review of Coventry. The review would look at whether the boundaries of wards within the local authority needed to be altered to ensure fairer representation at local government elections.

Coventry City Council met the Commission’s criteria for electoral inequality with 6 of 18 wards (33%) having a variance over 10%. In addition, the last electoral review of Coventry City Council was completed in 2003, meeting the Commissions duty, set out in law, to review every authority from ‘time to time’. The Commission has interpreted this to be about 12 – 14 years.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) commenced its review of Coventry City Council in October 2022.  On 21 March 2023 the Council approved the submission to the LGBCE to recommend that the number of Councillors remained at 54, which they had confirmed they are minded to approve.

Following this, the LGBCE had launched a consultation on the warding patterns for the City based on an average ward size of 13,848 electors per ward and an average of 4,616 per Councillor.

Any proposal submitted to the LGBCE needs to meet their three criteria for submitting warding patterns:

·  Proposed wards should leave each Councillor representing roughly the same number of electors.

·  Proposed wards should – as far as possible – reflect community interests and identities, and boundaries should be identifiable.

·  Proposed wards should promote effective and convenient local government.

Appendix 1 of the report contained an option on warding patterns for the City for submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission’s in response to their consultation.

Council was requested to approve one of the following options:

1.  That Council does not make a submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, or

2.  That Council approves Appendix 1 of the report as the Council’s submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as the City Council’s submission on the consultation on warding patterns for Coventry, or

3.  That Council considers and approves any other proposed warding pattern submissions as the Council’s submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England  as the City Council’s response to the consultation on warding patterns.

In moving the report, the Leader, Councillor G Duggins proposed that the City Council approve Option 2 above. This was seconded by Councillor A S Khan.

The following amendment was moved by Councillor S Gray, seconded by Councillor E Reeves and lost:

“That, in the event either Recommendations 2 and 3 as detailed in the report are proposed to be adopted, those Recommendations be amended as follows:-

Add the words “together with a full list of Councillors who voted for and against this option and their party affiliation”:-

a)  In Recommendation 2 of the report between “Appendix 1 of the report” and “as the Council’s submission” and;

b)  In Recommendation 3 of the report  between “warding pattern submissions” and “as the Council’s submission”

So that the amended Recommendations read as follows:

1.  That Council does not make a submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, or

2.  That Council approves Appendix 1 of the report, together with a full list of Councillors who voted for and against this option and their party affiliation, as the Council’s submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as the City Council’s submission on the consultation on warding patterns for Coventry, or

3.  That Council considers and approves any other proposed warding pattern submissions, together with a full list of Councillors who voted for and against this option and their party affiliation, as the Council’s submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as the City Council’s response to the consultation on warding patterns.

Note:  In accordance with the Constitution, a recorded vote in relation to the amended Motion was taken. 

The Councillors voting for, against and abstaining in relation to the amended Motion were as follows:

Result: Lost

For: 2

Against: 49

Abstentions: 0

RESOLVED that the City Council approves Option 2 as set out in the report, and that Appendix 1 of the report be the Council’s submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as the City Council’s submission on the consultation for warding patterns for Coventry.

Note:  In accordance with the Constitution, a recorded vote in relation to the Recommendation was taken. 

The Councillors voting for, against and abstaining in relation to the Recommendation were as follows:

Result: Carried

For: 34

Against: 16

Abstain: 0