The Local Government Boundary Commission has published its final report recommending a new political map for Durham County Council. Bishop Auckland is one Division that has been recommended for some significant changes.
Out goes Coundon, which moves to the Shildon and Dene Valley Division and in comes South Church, formerly part of the Shildon and Dene Valley Division.
Explaining their decision-making, the report’s authors wrote: “Bishop Auckland Town Council expressed concern that our proposed Bishop Auckland division included areas outside the Bishop Auckland parish boundary, asserting that such an arrangement could cause confusion for electors.
“However, we consider that the unparished South Church area, which is the area immediately outside the town council boundary that we included in Bishop Auckland division, shares close geographic links with Bishop Auckland town.
“We consider including the South Church area in Bishop Auckland division provides an effective balance of our statutory criteria.
“We nonetheless agree with Bishop Auckland Town Council that a future Community Governance Review to possibly bring the South Church area within Bishop Auckland parish might be beneficial and contribute to effective and convenient local government.
“Bishop Auckland Town Council also stated that it would prefer the area to remain represented by four councillors, as opposed to the three we have recommended.
“However, given the reduction in the number of councillors for the authority as a whole, it is an inevitable consequence that we must reduce the allocation of councillors per division and redraw division boundaries across the county to achieve an effective balance of our statutory criteria.
“Therefore, we are not able to adopt this proposal as part of our final recommendations.”
On moving Coundon to a new Division, the report said: “Shildon & Dene Valley Division will continue to be served by three councillors, but the commission has recommended that Coundon be added to the ward as it has significant commonalities with Eldon, Dene Valley and Shildon parishes.”
The report’s overall recommendations include reducing the total number of County Councillors by 28, from the current 126 to 98.
There will be 51 divisions and nine three-councillor divisions, 29 two-councillor divisions and 13 one-councillor divisions with most division boundaries redrawn.
The commission’s review of the county’s electoral map was precipitated by what it describes as ‘electoral inequality’ – that some councillors across the county currently represent many more or fewer electors than others.
It aims to create ‘electoral equality’, where the number of electors per councillor is as even as possible, ideally within 10% of being exactly equal.
It has concluded that the best way to do so is to ensure that ‘the divisions in County Durham are in the best possible places to help the Council carry out its responsibilities effectively’ and ‘the number of electors represented by each councillor is approximately the same across the county’.
The full report can be read by searching for County Durham here.
The recommendations are set to go before parliament in January with the new arrangements to apply at the May 2025 local elections if approved.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
