Alterations to the ward boundaries for the council will be in place for the upcoming local elections.

The change has received final approval from Parliament, meaning that Worcester City Council will see the adjustments apply for the election, on Thursday, May 2.

Although the council will continue with 35 councillors, they will now be distributed across 16 wards, an increase from the current 15.

 

 

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Three of the wards, Claines, Nunnery and Warndon & Elbury Park, will host three councillors each, while the rest will have two.

The changes are the product of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE)'s review.

As an independent body, LGBCE assesses each council in the country roughly every 20 years.

An extensive 18-month consultation took place in Worcester before the final recommendations, which led to the changes being approved in Parliament.

Shane Flynn, returning officer for the council, said: "We are grateful to both the LGBCE and Parliament for their conduct of this important process and we are pleased that these changes have been written into law in plenty of time before the election campaign begins.

Worcester News: The council will continue with 35 councillors, but they will not be split across 16 wards, rather

"We will now be writing to each household in Worcester that will be in a different ward in this year’s election, to make them aware of the changes."

Key changes in the ward reshuffle include splitting the current Cathedral ward into two new wards, named Fort Royal and Cathedral.

The Gorse Hill and Warndon wards will join to form the Warndon & Elbury Park ward.

The boundary between the current wards of Bedwardine and St John will be adjusted to facilitate the birth of the new ward, Dines Green & Grove Farm.

The residents of Warndon Parish North and Warndon Parish South should note that their areas will now be known, respectively, as St Nicholas and Leopard Hill.

In line with these changes, there will also be a shift from councillors being elected each year to electing all 35 seats at once, in an all-out election.

The winning councillors will then serve an extended term of four years.

For more detailed information and to see an interactive representation of the new ward boundaries, residents may visit www.worcester.gov.uk/elections.