STRATFORD District Council should have 17 fewer councillors, according to final recommendations from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

This week the Commission published its final recommendations for new electoral arrangements for Stratford District Council following a 10-week public consultation on its draft proposals.

Its final recommendations that the council should be represented by 36 councillors in the future and those councillors should represent 36 single-member wards across the district.

Max Caller, Chair of the Commission, said: “We are extremely grateful to the people of Stratford who took the time and effort to send us their views.

"The Commission considered every piece of evidence it received before finalising these recommendations.

“We have sought to balance the views expressed to us by local people with the criteria we must apply when we are deciding on new electoral arrangements.

"As such, we believe these recommendations deliver electoral equality for voters as well as reflecting the identities of communities across the district.”

In response to views expressed by local people and organisations, the Commission has made changes to some of the recommendations it put forward for consultation last year.

These include minor boundary modifications to its draft proposals in Shipston to ensure each councillor represents a similar number of voters.

The proposed new arrangements must now be implemented by Parliament and a draft order – the legal document which brings into force the recommendations – will be laid in Parliament in the coming months.

The draft Order provides for the new electoral arrangements to come into force at the council elections next year.