A consultation has opened which could change the way in which Jesmond voters elect councillors in the future.

Last week, the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England announced it would be initiating a review of Newcastle’s ward boundaries, with the consultation to be completed by April 4th 2016.

The commission is not proposing a change in the number of councillors representing the whole of Newcastle from the present number of 78, but with a spate of new homes being built across the city and changes in the student population, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England ascertained that the existing boundaries are in need of a change – a move which could directly affect Jesmond.

The commission has called upon local residents to help create a new pattern of council wards in Newcastle so that they can better reflect the city’s changing population. This consultation is open until the April 4th 2016 and details of the ward boundaries review can be found online at the Local Government Boundary Commission for England’s website.

There, residents are encouraged to refer to electoral figures and polling districts maps and to give feedback on the ward boundaries at the provided methods of contact, as well as providing a consultation portal which allows visitors to interact with online maps of the current wards, draw their own boundaries and feed views into the consultation process.

Newcastle council will support the work of the commission by consulting on its own detailed proposals. The proposal will be available on www.letstalknewcastle.co.uk from the 4th of February 2016 to 29th February 2016. Alongside this, a number of drop-in events will be held across the city to help people be at the heart of the decision making process.

On the Newcastle Council City website, Councillor Chris Bartlett, Chair of the Council’s Constitutional Committee, said: “We have to plan for the future or we will see electoral inequalities across the city with some wards that are too big and some that are too small. These are crucial decisions for democracy in Newcastle.”

Over the past year, the topic of ward boundaries was discussed at both North and South Jesmond ward meetings with many local residents expressing that they are keen to get involved with the discussion and redrawng of ward boundaries. There were thoughts that Jesmond’s current two wards could be merged into a single ward.

Following a whole-council meeting, held on February 3rd, South Jesmond Labour Councillor Felicity Mendelson told JesmondLocal that “what happens next is to look at the current wards and projected number of voters and look at how there can be equal number of voters per ward whilst retaining sensible new ward boundaries.

Cllr Mendelson added: “I had thought if ward numbers were reduced there could well be one Jesmond ward, but now I’m not so sure what will happen.”

She said she hoped that one outcome of the consultation would mean Jesmond will “no longer have a ward boundary halfway down a street as we currently do – for example Fern Avenue, Buston Terrace – and we will be looking over the next few weeks, across our wards,  to consider the boundaries.”

To have your voice heard, make sure to head over to www.lgbce.org.uk before April 4th.

with additional reporting by Megan Thrall