THE electoral boundaries in Ross-on-Wye are likely to change following a recent consultation in which 22 Herefordshire Council wards out of 53 would change across the county.

Herefordshire Council will still be represented by 53 councillors, but the boundaries in some wards will change due to the number of houses that have been built in the past few years in a bid to equalise the number of people in each ward.

However, the recommendations do not take into account any parliamentary constituency boundaries changes.

The proposals will also decide which ward residents vote in, which other communities are included in that ward, and, in some cases, which parish council ward people would vote in. The ward name may also change.

In particular, the town has three wards - Ross East, Ross North and Ross West. It proposed that there should be one councillor for the town of and one councillor for the surrounding rural areas.

As these areas are entitled to five councillors, a reduction to two councillors would leave the area significantly under-represented.

It is noted that the existing Ross North and Ross East wards have poor forecast electoral equality of 12 per cent and 14 per cent respectively more electors per councillor than the authority average by 2031.

It is therefore sought to identify amendments to the three Ross wards to provide for good electoral equality.

Two amendments have been put forward to achieve this. It is proposed to move the boundary between Ross East and Ross West from Broad Street to Gloucester Road and Cantilupe Road.

The boundary between Ross North and Ross West would also change to follow River View, Brampton Street, Brookfield Road and Over Ross Street.

These proposed changes are based on evidence gathered on Herefordshire Council’s virtual tour and provide electoral equality for all three Ross wards.

Herefordshire Council has stated it is open to hearing about other potential warding arrangements for the town that meet our three statutory criteria of electoral equality, community identities and effective and convenient local government.

The draft recommendations for Ross are for the three wards of Ross East, Ross North and Ross West, which are forecast to have electoral variances of one percent, nine per cent and ten per cent respectively by 2031.

Three submissions in relation to Birch, Dinedor Hill, Kerne Bridge, Llangarron, Old Gore and Penyard over boundary changes were lodged with Herefordshire Council and of these Councillor Toni Fagan and Much Birch Parish Council suggested that the boundary between Birch ward and Wormside ward should be changed to follow the A49, but this was rejected by the local authority as the existing boundary follows parish boundaries and to make the change proposed would require the creation parish wards for both Much Birch and Much Dewchurch parishes.

These parish wards would have very few electors in them which, in our view, would not provide for effective and convenient local government here.

The other submission related to Old Gore ward and stated that the village of Brampton Abbotts should be included in a Ross-on-Wye ward, a proposal which was also rejected.