THE Local Government Boundary Commission has reviewed county council divisions and is proposing minor changes for county council boundaries.

However, in what seems to be an afterthought and without any prior warning or justification, they are proposing major changes to Kidderminster Town Council while the district council wards are unchanged.

The proposal is to split up the current six wards with three councillors each into 10 wards comprising five single-member wards, two two-member wards and three three-member wards.

So the overall number of councillors would remain the same at 18.

When Kidderminster Town Council discovered this proposal, it voted unanimously – all parties and all independents – to write to the commission to oppose it and to insist that representation of Kidderminster residents is best served by keeping town ward boundaries in alignment with WFDC ward boundaries.

I feel strongly that these proposals cut across community cohesiveness, will confuse voters with different wards and boundaries at town and district level and lead to poorer representation.

Ward representation from a team of three councillors seems to work reasonably well – there is no need to change it.

While the current democratic arrangements are not perfect, we need Kidderminster residents to defend what we have.

By March 18, please make your views known by emailing reviews@lgbce.org.uk (ref: Kidderminster Town Council) or by writing to: Review Officer (Worcestershire), LGBCE, PO Box 133, Blyth NE24 9FE.

The full details of the Worcestershire review are at www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/worcestershire.

Cllr Doug Hine

Aggborough & Spennells ward, Kidderminster Town Council