Boundary shake up, but Bradford will keep 90 councillors

The Boundary Commission has today (Tuesday) begun a consultation that will see changes to the 30 wards that make up the Bradford district.

Each ward will still be represented by three councillors – meaning Bradford Council will still be made up of 90 councillors.

The Commission says the work will ensure each councillor represents roughly the same number of people.

Among the boundary changes proposed are that Thornton and Allerton, which currently share a ward, be split.

Thornton will become part of the new Thornton and Clayton Ward, while Allerton is paired with Fairweather Green in a new ward.

The Commission says there will also be changes to the wards in Baildon, Bingley and Ilkley “to provide electors in those wards with electoral equality.”

Other wards to be re-drawn include Tong, Wibsey and Wyke, changes the commission says will “better reflect the communities in the south of the city.”

The proposed map of Bradford wards (Image: Boundary Commission)

A consultation on the plans starts today, and will run for 10 weeks until February 5.

If approved, the changes are likely to come into play in the 2026 local elections.

Earlier this year the Boundary Commission reviewed whether Bradford should continue to be represented by 90 councillors.

Bradford Council and the Conservative group in Bradford both made representations asking the commission to keep the current number.

The Council’s official response said: “We need sufficient numbers of councillors with the experience, skills and cultural competencies to ensure that the district is able to achieve its full potential, address entrenched inequalities and secure fair and effective representation for its many and diverse communities.

“A reduction in council size would jeopardise the ability to meet those objectives and, while a case can be made for an increase in size, given the constraints on resources this would not be an appropriate course of action.

“It is our view then that a council size of 90 must be retained in order to provide the leadership, regulation and representation that a District of this scale, diversity and complexity requires.”

Council Leader Susan Hinchliffe wrote to the commission saying: “There is a rising level of need, and with the scaling back of public services, councillors often find themselves on the frontline of support, helping residents navigate difficult conversations and complex agency pathways.  

“Modern media means that people use a variety of social media channels to contact us, expectations through these channels are that we respond immediately.  

“This is alongside our surgeries, street surgeries, emails and phone calls. I list these here, not to complain, on the contrary most councillors become a councillor because they like helping people, but just to illustrate that we are very stretched and I would not like to scale down support to the citizens of this, the youngest city in the UK.”

The response by Bradford Conservative Group leader Rebecca Poulson said: “A number of residents and also elected Conservative Members would prefer to see Bradford Council reduced in size.

“The increasingly important role of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the transfer of Children’s Social Care to a trust and the scaling back of council services due to budget reductions, support this instinctive opinion.

“It is accepted however, that given the district’s population growth of 79,000 (17 per cent) between the 2001 and 2021 censuses and forecasts indicating that the population will continue to increase apace, coupled with the many challenges on the local government horizon, a reduction in the number of elected-members doesn’t appear to be the best way forward at this time.

“The Conservative Group is of the view that a council size of 90 with three members per ward, will for the foreseeable future, best provide the requisite numbers to ensure that the members of all political allegiances and none, can best fulfil their responsibilities to the residents of Bradford district.”

The Commission has since agreed, deciding this summer that Bradford will remain a 90 councillor authority.

Launching the boundary consultation today, Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the Commission, said: “We want to make sure these new electoral arrangements reflect communities. We also want them to be easy to understand and convenient for local people.

“Residents and local organisations can help us do that. We would like them to let us know whether they agree with our proposals before we take final decisions."

To take part visit https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/bradford