PARTS of a plan to redraw the city’s electoral map ahead of next year’s elections have been scrapped.

The latest plan by the Local Government Boundary Commission, which has gone through several edits, would see the west of the city carved up into two new wards with the Bedwardine ward scrapped in favour of a smaller St John’s ward and a new Dines Green and Grove Farm ward, where hundreds of new homes are set to be built in the coming years, and new Lower Wick and Pitmaston ward.

On the opposite side of the city, the Warndon and Gorse Hill wards would be combined to create a single new ward with three councillors.

The Boundary Commission is asking for more feedback on new proposals to redraw the electoral map of Worcester which will create a handful of new wards with local elections less than 12 months away.

Worcester City Council will be electing all councillors in a single election for the first time in 2024, after agreeing to scrap the old system of electing councillors in thirds in three out of every four years, and the next general election is also scheduled to be held no later than January 2025.

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The plan to split the current Cathedral ward into two new City Centre and Fort Royal wards remains but the Boundary Commission said it has decided to stick with the old Cathedral name and has binned the City Centre ‘rebrand.’

Worcester News: CHANGE: The new combined Warndon and Gorse Hill ward and slightly redrawn Rainbow Hill wardCHANGE: The new combined Warndon and Gorse Hill ward and slightly redrawn Rainbow Hill ward (Image: Boundary Commission)

The current Arboretum, Claines, St Clement, St Peter’s and St Stephen wards would all remain unchanged.

The biggest changes would see:

  • A new Dines Green and Grove Farm ward and Lower Wick and Pitmaston ward created with the Bedwardine ward scrapped altogether and distributed and parts of the current St John’s ward cut up to feed into the two new wards
  • The currently separate Warndon and Gorse Hill wards would be combined into a single ward with three councillors – reducing the number of councillors representing both wards from a combined four
  • Minor tweaks would be made to the Nunnery ward and Rainbow Hill ward and could be made to the Battenhall ward depending on feedback

And the other changes proposed in the previous draft that remain are:

  • Parts of the southern side of the city centre in the current Cathedral ward would be cut off to create a new Fort Royal ward
  • Warndon Parish North and Warndon Parish South would be renamed Warndon Villages North and Warndon Villages South
  • Arboretum, Claines, St Clement, St Peter’s and St Stephen would all remain unchanged

Worcester News: CHANGE: The new Cathedral and Fort Royal wards alongside slightly redrawn Battenhall and Nunnery wardsCHANGE: The new Cathedral and Fort Royal wards alongside slightly redrawn Battenhall and Nunnery wards (Image: Boundary Commission)

The Boundary Commissions report, which includes feedback from the city council, councillors and residents, said that Labour’s Jill Desayrah had supported combining the Warndon and Gorse Hill wards but the ward’s Conservative councillors Owen Cleary, James Stanley and Mohammad Altaf had come out against moving Avon Road and Teme Road into the neighbouring Nunnery ward.

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Labour councillors Pat Agar, Basharat Ali and Simon Cronin in the Nunnery ward, who died suddenly last week, also opposed moving the two roads and said they should stay part of Warndon and Gorse Hill.

Worcester News: REDRAWN: The new Dines Green and Grove Farm, Lower Wick and Pitmaston and redrawn St John's wardsREDRAWN: The new Dines Green and Grove Farm, Lower Wick and Pitmaston and redrawn St John's wards (Image: Boundary Commission)

Under the current plans, all of Brickfields Road would be moved into the Rainbow Hill ward and Woolhope Road near Diglis could switch borders from the Cathedral ward to a new home in the Battenhall ward and residents in Cromwell Crescent could move electoral boundaries from Battenhall to Nunnery.

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The Local Government Boundary Commission is looking for feedback on its latest plans for Worcester and you have until June 19 to have your say. A final draft is then due to be published in August.

Visit lgbce.org.uk for more information.