Hackney wards to be redrawn in Boundary Commission shake-up plan

Hackney Town Hall . Photograph: Hackney Citizen

Hackney’s ward boundaries are to be redrawn in advance of the next local council elections in 2014.

A review of the borough’s 19 administrative areas will begin early next year (January 2012) following changes in the number of people on the electoral register.

The existing wards, which date from 2002, will be reviewed by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, the independent body in charge of local government boundary setting.

The review process is expected to last between six months and a year. It will begin by looking at whether the total number of councillors in Hackney is suitable, given their workload, their role in the community and the number of people registered to vote.

Some or all of the ward boundaries many then be redrawn in consultation with local communities. It is also possible that the current allocation of three councillors per ward could be changed as part of this process.

The new boundaries will have to be formally approved by Parliament before they come into force at the time of the council elections scheduled for May 2014.

The review has been triggered by the fact that at least 30% of Hackney’s current wards vary by more than 10% in the number of eligible voters they contain. When this criterion is met, a review is automatically called.