MOVES to see Cornwall Council reduced to 87 councillors from the current 123 have been widely condemned.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England announced on Tuesday (September 26) that from 2021, the council should have 87 councillors. The announcement follows an electoral review of Cornwall Council being carried out by the Boundary Commission to recommend the number of councillors and re-draw ward boundaries across Cornwall.

Cllr Malcolm Brown, the chairman of Cornwall Council’s electoral review panel said: ‘The number of councillors that should be on Cornwall Council from 2021 has been highly controversial ever since the Boundary Commission started its review last year.’

‘Many people in Cornwall, and a minority of Cornwall Councillors, have always wanted the number of councillors to be reduced significantly from the present size of 123, so the Commission’s proposal for there to be only 87 councillors has drawn some support.

‘However, the majority of Cornwall Councillors, both before and after this year’s elections, strongly favoured a council size of 99 or more. The vast majority of Parish and Town Councils also want Cornwall Council to have 99 councillors or more. It’s disappointing the Boundary Commission has ignored their views. This is a very sad day for the representation of local people in Cornwall.’

Political party Mebyon Kernow has condemned the decision.

Party leader Dick Cole said he was ‘extremely disturbed’ by the attitude of the boundary commission.

He said: ‘Prior to 2009, Cornwall had 331 councillors on the county council and the six district councils. The centralisation of local government was then imposed on Cornwall and the number of councillors slashed to 123.

‘And now the LGBCE has imposed another large cut in elected members, which will further increase the democratic deficit from which Cornwall already suffers.

‘This is so wrong and I cannot understand why the LGBCE is so determined to launch an assault on democracy in Cornwall.’

Mebyon Kernow and other bodies have argued that Cornwall already had fewer councillors on principal authorities than almost all other parts of the United Kingdom.

Cornwall Councillor for Callington and town councillor Andrew Long said he was ’very disappointed and yet not surprised by the recommendation’.

He said: ’For me it’s a shocking indictment on how the boundary commission was set up. The recommendation comes with no evidence base despite asking for exactly that from everybody else.’

The Boundary Commission is now inviting people and groups across Cornwall to help produce a new pattern of divisions to accommodate 87 councillors.

People have until February 19, 2018 to submit their views on how the new divisions for Cornwall will be drawn up.

Further information on the review and interactive maps of the existing divisions can be found atconsultation.lgbce.org. uk and www.lgbce.org.uk