Thame
A review of the warding arrangements to provide electoral representational balance between the North and South wards.
Impact on district and county council boundaries
None.
Thame Town Council proposed the change.
Summary of other responses
Details of the responses received are set out in the engagement summary document.
To consult on revised warding arrangements for Thame Town Council as shown in the map attached.
Thame Town Council requested a change to the parish ward boundaries to address an imbalance in the electorate resulting from higher levels of residential development in the South Ward.
It is an important democratic principle that each person’s vote should be of equal weight so far as possible. Whilst there is no legislative provision that each parish councillor should represent the same number of electors, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England states that it is not in the interests of effective and convenient local government to have significant differences in levels of representation.
The proposal will reduce the electoral imbalance from approximately 1604 to approximately 520. In addition, the proposed ward split provides a more logical division of the parish.
It is considered that the retention of the warding arrangements provides for effective and convenient representation.