This coming to a head now and I have been informed that ther proposal for Wymondham is that the parish will be carved up into 3 NEW areas ( wards) Central, South and North with 2 DISTRICT councillors per area.
This will be the new model for the elections in 2019 but there is a problem in that currently we have 5 councillors and this will create 6 councillors BUT we are told we are not being allowed to increase our number at District. We have 46 at present
I have raised this as an issue and am not at all sure about this being an acceptable model and there is a suggestion that might have some gentle gerrymandering in play here, but I am told this is the thoughts of the officers not the elected members, but when you are concerned about your job you always ask what the members would like to happen and that way you keep them sweet. I have no evidence whatsoever to confirm this suggestion but I suppose I am naturally suspicious about such changes and we , in Spooner row already have the dice in effect loaded against as the key figure is number of voters NOT geography and there are far more in Silfield NOW with another 2000+ in the future.
The actual maps of the new areas have yet to be released and this is by no means a done deal.
There is a recognition that we in Cromwells ward ( Silfield, Suton , Spooner row Wattlefield) are massively larger in area than any of the others and I suspect we will become part of the new South, although I have to say my two fellow councillors do not seem to be terrible proactive as far as the rural bit is concerned, but they were voted in ....
If each new ward is to receive 2 district councillors (6 in total but they only want to provide 5 for Wymondham), I hope the intention is not to deprive Spooner Row (and Suton etc) of this second district councillor. Many feel that we have not been served well over the years at a district level and it is about time that this was redressed - we are entitled to the same number of new district councillors as the rest of Wymondham.
