Southwark's ward boundaries consultation

[BrandNewGuy]

A reminder that Southwark Council has a consultation over ward boundary changes which closes on Nov 16th:

"We are asking local people and organisations for their help to draw up new council ward boundaries across the London Borough of Southwark.

The Commission has also announced that it is minded to recommend that the council should have 63 councillors in the future: the same as the current arrangements.

We are now drawing up a new pattern of wards to accommodate 63 councillors. We need your help to tell where the new boundaries should be drawn.

Below, you can see the current ward boundaries for Southwark. Every ward in Southwark is currently represented by three councillors. There is no requirement for the borough to have a uniform pattern of three-member wards. The Commission is therefore interested in proposals for wards that could be represented by one, two or three councillors.

You can submit comments to us or upload a document by clicking on the 'Have your say' link at the top of the page. You can also draw your own boundaries and annotate the map by clicking on the same button.

There is plenty of information to help you make a submission in the 'Useful links' section at the bottom right of the page.

This consultation closes on 16 November 2015."

https://consultation.lgbce.org.uk//node/5979

Given the growth of population in the north of the borough and the subsequent perceived injustice of relative ward sizes in terms of population, I fear our influence in the south will become even less than it is now. On their 50th birthday, perhaps the time is right for breaking up the boroughs :-)

[James Barber]

Hi BNG,

Sadly slitting up Southwark Council isn't on the cards. It is viewed that having large councils is more efficient. Not true in my experience or friends who work in local government. But it is the accepted wisdom.

The ward review is likely to see either larger wards in southern SOuthwark or split wards with fewer councillors. MY hunch would be a mix. in this way new ward boundaries could reflect the geographic feel of areas. Nunhead ward for example is a particulalrly weird beast.

East Dulwich ward beign larger could more accurately reflect how people consider the East Dulwich area. Southwark side of Herne Hill could be a seperate ward which would make it much easier to be coordinated with thE Lambeth side - rather than just another bit Village ward.

[Penguin68]

Wards (ideally) should reflect communities of interest, the numbers of councilors per ward should have some tie-in to the ward electorate (to reflect case-loads). A 'ward' which covered all those areas which think they are East Dulwich would be much larger than the current ED ward, and probably should have more than 3 councilors. However some communities of interest actually go across borough boundaries (the houses on either side of Wood Vale have much more in common with each other than with either Lewisham or Southwark as a whole, for instance). It can never be got completely right. There are some odd corners in the current ward boundaries which look gerrymandered (the little intrusion of Peckham Rye between College and East Dulwich, for instance)

What is broke is the clear difference in needs between north and south Southwark - and that's the one bit which ain't going to be fixed.

[Bic Basher]

College is too big. There's no real connection between those of us who live in the SE22 part of the ward with those who live on the Kingswood Estate.

Maybe a small extension to either ED Ward or Peckham Rye would be more representative for those who live there.

[Townleygreen]

P68: What is broke is the clear difference in needs between north and south Southwark - and that's the one bit which ain't going to be fixed.

I think you'll find no London borough is homogeneous - they all have more and less deprived area in them, even Westminster!

[Penguin68]

I think you'll find no London borough is homogeneous - they all have more and less deprived area in them, even Westminster!

I am not suggesting anything other. But it is Southwark, not other boroughs, we are looking at here - and it is clear that the priorities of the northern end of the borough are significantly different from the southern end. As the northern end is more populous it is (entirely properly) their needs which are first addressed. The topology of the borough means that whilst technically inner London we in the southern end have some similarities with outer boroughs. I doubt whether any of the fiddling at the margins which this review will in the end deliver will make any positive impact on us at all (possibly a negative one if our 'tail' becomes even more representative light and the dog even more influential).

[Alex K]

Thanks for the heads-up. Comment submitted.

[Townleygreen]

P68, it is a mirror image of Lewisham which has Deptford, New Cross versus leafy Forest Hill and Sydenham.

Very similar also to Waltham Forest with Leyton vs Chingford etc etc.

It is surely equitable that each ward with 3 councillors should compare with other sized wards in terms of population. Or are you suggesting this area should be OVER represented?

[Penguin68]

Please - I am NOT suggesting Southwark is in any way exceptional, just noting that (indeed like Lewisham) it has a mix of needs. And it is quite possible, based on population, that the south end of Southwark may end up with fewer councilors than previously - if so, again entirely fair (allocation of councilors should match population) but may mean that the voice of the south end is even more muted than before. That is part of what is behind potentially no longer operating an automatic 3 councilor per ward allocation, whilst still sticking with the same overall number of councilors.