Council shake-up to bring fairer representation, claims leader

Wards and seats to be cut

The Leader of Douglas Council hopes a shake up in membership will make a 'big difference' to public perception of the authority.

An inquiry opens today (13 Dec) on cutting the number of Council wards from six to four, and the number of seats from 16 to 12.

The move is hoped to pave the way for fairer representation by addressing discrepancies in the population numbers of the  different wards.

The four new local areas would also align with national constituencies, making it easier for MHKs and local politicians to work together.

Should the inquiry chair find no issue with the proposal, it's understood the changes would take affect during the 2020 local government elections.

Leader David Christian has pushed for the reorganisation of the Council over the last decade.

He says with various services transferred to central government over the years, it's right the local authority changes size to reflect that.

The Hills Ward representative is sure councillors will be able to cope with the workload, and believes fewer spaces could prompt more contested elections.

Local Democracy Reporter Ewan Gawne asked Mr Christian whether the change is down to over-governance, or a push for fairer representation.