Authority says it needs three more councillors

Warrington Council wants more councillors to ensure "fair representation" for residents in the area.

A boundary review is currently taking place and the Boundary Commission has recommended increasing the number of councillors in the area from the current 58 to 60.

But Warrington Council is instead proposing to ask the Commission to increase the number of representatives to 61.

The council's submission is to be discussed at a meeting of the authority on Tuesday.

A public consultation into the proposals is open until 16 March, and the council is holding an extraordinary meeting to discuss its plan.

In documents prepared alongside the meeting, the council said it is only a consultee in a public consultation and its proposal "does not carry any more weight than any other submission".

It said it would want to have 61 councillors to ensure "fair representation" as the town's population is expected to grow.

"This is necessary to maintain community identity and avoid crossing strong physical boundaries— particularly in Latchford, a geographically defined community bounded by the Manchester Ship Canal and River Mersey," council documents said.

The Boundary Commission also recommends increasing the number of wards from the current 22 to 24.

The review does not cover the boundary of Warrington, parliamentary boundaries or anything linked to devolution.

The Boundary Commission will consider submissions before an additional consultation period takes place over the summer.

It is expected the Commission will publish its final recommendations in December.

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