Sandwell Ward Boundary Review Initial Consultation

by Karen Tuckley

Today is the start of a ten-week public consultation inviting proposals for new council wards and ward boundaries for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.

The consultation will close on 30 September 2024.

After they have considered all the representations which have been made during this consultation, they intend to publish draft recommendations in February 2025. They will then hold a further period of consultation on the draft recommendations, and the final recommendations are expected to be published in July 2025.

The new electoral arrangements will come into effect at the local elections in 2026.

What is an electoral review?

The electoral review will recommend new electoral arrangements for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. It will propose:

  • the total number of councillors elected to the council in the future;
  • the number of wards;
  • the number of councillors representing each ward;
  • ward boundaries; and
  • the names of wards.

How to get involved

This is a public consultation and welcomes views from individuals and organisations across Sandwell on where they think new ward boundaries should be drawn.

The Council are minded to recommend that 72 councillors should be elected to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Councill in the future. This is no change from the current number of councillors. They are now inviting proposals to help them draw up a pattern of wards to accommodate 72 councillors.

In drawing up new electoral wards, they must balance three legal criteria, namely:

  • to deliver electoral equality: where each councillor represents roughly the same number of electors as others across the borough;
  • that the pattern of wards should, as far as possible, reflect the interests and identities of local communities;
  • that the electoral arrangements should provide for effective and convenient local government.

All submissions will be treated equally, and each case judged on its merits and against the legal criteria.

If you wish to put forward a view, they would also urge you to ensure that evidence supports your submission.

There is more advice on Boundary Commission’s website about how you can get involved in the consultation. They have also set up a webpage dedicated to the review of Sandwell, where you can find all the relevant information, access interactive maps of the current ward boundaries, and give your views.