Local Government Boundary Commission for England facts for kids
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is a special group in England. Its main job is to check and change the borders of local areas. It also looks at how people vote and how many councillors represent different places.
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How it Started
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England was created in April 2010. Before that, another group called the Boundary Committee for England did similar work. A law passed in 2009 (the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act) set up the LGBCE to take over these important tasks.
What Does the Commission Do?
The Commission has three main types of jobs, all about making sure local government works well for everyone.
Checking Voting Areas (Electoral Reviews)
One of the LGBCE's key jobs is to do "electoral reviews." This means they look at the boundaries of wards or divisions within a local council area. They check if these boundaries need to change because the number of voters has changed. For example, if many new houses are built in one area, it might need more councillors or different borders.
The Commission also decides:
- How many councillors an area should have.
- How many wards or divisions there should be.
- If a ward should have one, two, or three councillors.
Changing Local Area Borders (Administrative Reviews)
Sometimes, the LGBCE reviews the outside borders of a whole local council area. This is called an "administrative boundary review." This can happen if the government asks for it, if a local council asks, or if the Commission decides it's needed. These changes make sure that local areas are managed in the best way.
Creating Simpler Councils (Structural Reviews)
A "structural review" is about making local government simpler. In some parts of England, there are two layers of councils: a county council and several district councils. A structural review looks at whether it would be better to have just one main council for an area. This single, all-purpose council is called a unitary authority. It means one council does all the jobs instead of two.
