Members of Cornwall Council have overwhelmingly supported an overall council size of 99 councillors as the basis for their final submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

An alternative size of 85 was proposed at this week’s meeting of the full council but was rejected by a substantial majority.

The Council made its first submission to the Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBCE) in October 2016, with a suggested range of 105-115 members.

Proposing the recommendation of 99 councillors, John Wood, chair of the Electoral Review Panel, said the revised figure was based on clear evidence from additional work which had taken place over the past few months.

The LGBCE will now consider the council’s submission and evidence alongside other submissions it will have received before announcing its decision on the size of the council on May 16, shortly after the council elections. 

This is the first review of electoral divisions to take place in Cornwall since the creation of the unitary council in 2009 and the main aim is to ensure that all councillors represent, as far as practically possible, a similar number of voters.