New warding arrangements for City Council
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has published its final recommendations for new warding arrangements in the city of Southampton. The LGBCE is an independent body set up by Parliament and its main role is to carry out electoral reviews of local authorities throughout England to make sure that these arrangements help councils work effectively. With the publication of its final recommendations this concludes the LGBCE’s review of the electoral arrangements for Southampton City Council, which commenced in November 2021.
Summary
The LGBCE’s final recommendations are:
- Southampton City Council should have 51 councillors, three more than there are now
- Southampton should have 17 three-councillor wards, one more than there is now
As a consequence of these changes, in the west of the city the LGBCE is making minor amendments to the boundaries between the following wards:
- Bargate and Bevois
- Bevois and Portswood
- Portswood and Bassett
- Bassett and Swaythling
- Swaythling and Portswood
- Bargate and Freemantle
- Freemantle and Millbrook
- Millbrook and Redbridge
The Coxford and Shirley wards are unchanged.
The LGBCE is also renaming Bargate North ward to Banister and Polygon, and Bargate South ward to Bargate.
In the east of the city the LGBCE is making minor amendments to the boundaries between these wards:
- Harefield and Bitterne Park
- Peartree and Sholing
- Woolston and Peartree
The LGBCE is also renaming Bitterne ward to Thornhill.
These changes will come into effect for the Southampton City Council elections scheduled for 4 May 2023.
How do these changes affect you?
The LGBCE’s recommendations determine how many councillors serve on Southampton City Council, and also which ward you live in and where you vote. Whilst most of Southampton’s residents are not affected by the new ward boundaries, if you would like to know more, or to see whether these changes have an impact on where you live, full details of the review can be found on the LGBCE’s website at Southampton Unitary Authority - Electoral review.
An interactive map showing the LGBCE’s new ward boundaries is also available at Final recommendations published for Southampton City Council.
