The number of councillors and the political map in an East Lancashire borough is to be reviewed.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is to examine the ward make up of Hyndburn Council.

The aim is to hold elections for every councillor and ward in May 2027.

Details of the review were given to Hyndburn Council's cabinet meeting on Tuesday by its leader Cllr Munsif Dad.

The review will look at:

  • the total number of councillors needed to run the authority efficiently;
  • the number of wards;
  • the number of councillors per ward;
  • ward boundaries;
  • ward names.

Council leader Munsif Dad presented the plansCouncil leader Munsif Dad presented the plans

It is the latest East Lancashire borough to be reviewed since 2017 following Blackburn with Darwen, the Ribble Valley, Pendle and Rossendale in a bid to make sure each vote in local elections carries equal weight.

Since the last boundary changes in 2002, the council has comprised 35 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors.

Elections are held three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council elected each time for a four-year term.

Lancashire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough polls.

There are 13 wards with two councillors and three with three representatives.

The current political balance is 22 councillors for Labour, the ruling party, the Conservatives have 11, and there is one Independent and one Green councillor.

Cllr Dad said: "I firmly believe a Boundary Commission review is important for our community.

"Hyndburn is a vibrant and evolving area, and it’s important our ward boundaries reflect these changes.

"By ensuring that each ward has a balanced number of electors, we can ensure fair and equal representation for all our residents.

The Hyndburn borough mapThe Hyndburn borough map

"This review is vital for maintaining the integrity of our local democracy, ensuring every vote in Hyndburn carries equal weight and that our council can effectively address the diverse needs of our community.”

Conservative group leader Cllr Zak Khan said: "The leader has approached us for our views on the upcoming boundary review, which we will provide in due course.

"A two-thirds majority is required, so any proposals by the controlling group need to be void of political gerrymandering."

Miles Parkinson, a former leader of the council, said: "It’s really important that every vote is equal in Hyndburn.

Tory leader Zak Khan said his party will review the proposalsTory leader Zak Khan said his party will review the proposals

"The main issue for residents is confusion as in each local election in Hyndburn certain wards don’t get a vote.

"Hopefully that can be rectified."

The review will first consider how many councillors the authority needs.

Having formed a view of councillor numbers, the Commission will then look at ward boundaries before consulting about this and producing an initial proposal later this year.

There will then be further consultation on the draft proposal before final recommendations are produced by the Commission in Spring 2026 and laid before Parliament in order to bring them into force at 'all out' elections under the new arrangements in May 2027.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Boundary Commission said: “We have a duty to review all local authorities 'from time to time'. Hyndburn Council was last reviewed in 2000.

“We aim to make sure that, within an authority: each councillor represents a similar number of electors; boundaries are appropriate, and reflect community ties and identities and are informed by local needs, views and circumstances.

“We are in discussions with the council as part of the preliminary stages of the electoral review which we aim to complete in time for the new boundaries to be implemented at the elections in May 2027.”