Pendle News Room

All of Pendle’s current Council wards will change as part of the review which included two rounds of public consultation.

The Commission’s final recommendations propose that Pendle should be represented by 33 councillors in future. This is 15 fewer than the current arrangement.

It also proposes that those councillors should represent 10 three-councillor wards, one two-councillor ward and one single councillor ward.

Councillor Mohammed Iqbal, Leader of Pendle Council, said: “The aim of the electoral review is to recommend and re-draw ward boundaries that mean each councillor represents approximately the same number of voters.

“The review also ensures the ward boundaries reflect the interests and identities of local communities.”

Philip Mousdale, Corporate Director, added: “We are happy with the final recommendations.

“The Boundary Commission accepted some of our comments which means that largely it’s in line with what we hoped for.”

The Commission took on board the Council’s suggestion that Fence and Higham be taken out of the original proposal to create Brierfield West, Fence and Higham.

Fence and Higham ward is now recommended as a one-councillor ward alongside a two-councillor Brierfield West & Reedley ward to better reflect community interests and identities.

The Commission also agreed with the Council that the new West Craven wards should be called Barnoldswick and Earby & Coates.

And they’ve agreed to change the name of the proposed Waterside ward to Waterside & Horsfield and the proposed name of the proposed Southfield & Marsden ward to Marsden & Southfield.

The proposed new arrangements must now be implemented by Parliament.

A draft Order, which will be laid in Parliament in the coming months, will state that the new electoral arrangements will come into force next year.

There will be all out elections in May 2020, which means all Pendle councillors who wish to be re-elected, will stand as candidates in the new wards.

Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said: “We’re extremely grateful to people across Pendle who took part in the review. The Commission has looked at all the evidence that was put forward during the consultation.

“We believe these recommendations deliver electoral fairness for voters as well as reflecting community ties throughout Pendle.”