RICHMONDSHIRE councillors have now submitted their proposal on how future ward boundaries could be drawn up across the district in the future.

Earlier this year councillors asked the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) to look at proposals to reduce the number of councillors from 34 to 24.

The move comes as part of an on-going drive to improve efficiency within the authority.

At a full meeting of Richmondshire District Council on Tuesday night, members opted to redraw the boundaries to form 24 single wards.

The council believes this will not only allow for better administration by councillors but will also make it much clearer for residents to know who their elected representative is.

Members said the authority is ‘oversized’ and could easily operate and function with a 29 per cent reduction in members whilst still providing the right representation for the district’s residents.

The commission indicated in June that it was ‘minded’ to approve the reduction and has since been undertaking consultation exercises with local bodies and residents to seek views – and possible new structures - before making a final decision.

Council Leader Yvonne Peacock explained: “Since then a member working group has been looking at the ward boundaries.

“We believe our 24 single wards reflects equality in representation, community interest and identity and provides effective local government. “We hope the boundary commission will also see that and adopt our solution.”

However, not all councillors are content with the proposals, with Upper Dales councillor John Blackie saying he could not support the submission.

He has put forward his own boundary proposal document which he says better reflects and represents the unique identity of the Upper Dales area.

Cllr Blackie is concerned that the views of residents of smaller areas could get overshadowed by those of larger towns and villages as councillors may focus on the more highly populated areas in their ward.

The LGBCE will publish its draft recommendations for further consultation on October 31.

A final decision on the new structure is then expected to be announced in April next year and the changes will then become effective from local elections in May 2019.

The full list of the 24 proposed wards can be found at richmondshire.gov.uk