A new map of Liverpool has been slammed as "a complete mess" and "appalling" by leading city councillors.
Earlier today, the ECHO published the final proposals for a new electoral map of the city, which includes sweeping changes in terms of how Liverpool will be split up and areas renamed from next May. The changes form a key part of the council's response to last year's damning government inspection report.
In his damning inspection report, government inspector Max Caller said Liverpool must redraw its electoral map, reduce the number of councillors in the city and create far more wards that are represented by just one elected councillor in a bid to provide greater accountability. He also said the council must change its system of elections to all out votes every four years.
READ MORE: N ew map of Liverpool confirmed with many living in new areas
At present, Liverpool is split up into thirty electoral wards, represented by 90 councillors - with three councillors elected in each ward. Previously, a third of all council seats would be elected in three of every four years. Under the new electoral system, there will be one Liverpool Council election every four years - starting next May - where all of the council's seats will be up for grabs.
The final map will see Liverpool divided up into 64 wards. Within this there will be 46 wards represented by just one councillor. There will be 15 areas represented by two councillors and just three larger areas that will be represented by three elected city councillors. The plan will see each councillor representing an average of 4,300 residents.
You can see our full rundown of how the new city map will look here
But the final proposals have been heavily criticised by some leading figures in Liverpool's political world. The city's opposition leader and Lib Dem boss Richard Kemp described the final proposals as "a complete mess."
He said: "From the original government direction of single member wards, we have a hotch-potch of 46 councillors being singletons with the other 39 being a combination of two and three member wards. The approach from the commissioners is inconsistent with some neighbourhoods being split but similar neighbourhoods not being split.
"So, we are left with something that meets neither the council’s request for three-member wards nor the Government’s direction for one-member wards. This is a system which will cause considerable confusion to officers, partners and residents. This confusion will be introduced at a time when the council is having to make major changes to the way it runs its affairs and will bring large numbers of new and inexperienced councillors into the Town Hall."
He added: "The Government would have been better leaving the current electoral system in place so that a full development of councillors could be made as new councillors came in over a period of two more years."
Cllr Steve Radford, leader of the Liberal Party was similarly withering about the final plans. He said: "I've been involved with a few reviews and this was just the most appalling process. The people who made these decisions didn't speak to people on the ground who will be affected, they didn't even meet councillors."
He said the results will confuse people, adding: "For example, we will now have three wards with West Derby in their names, but West Derby Village isn't in any of them - it is instead in Sandfield Park. Then there is St John's Church in Tuebrook, the historical heart of the Tuebrook area - and it will now not be in Tuebrook but Stoneycroft."
Cllr Radford added: "There is absolutely no consistency in the decision-making process. It makes no sense."
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England has now completed its review of Liverpool City Council. The final recommendations must now be approved by Parliament. A draft order - the legal document which brings into force the recommendations - will be laid in Parliament. Subject to parliamentary scrutiny, the new electoral arrangements will come into force at the local elections in 2023.
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