ST HELENS North Conservative Association has sided with Labour in calling for a reduction in elected members in Rainford – but ward councillors have opposed the move.

A review the electoral arrangements in St Helens Borough Council is currently being undertaken by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, in order to consider the number of councillors elected to each ward, as well as the names, number and boundaries of the wards.

A submission proposing to maintain the current number of 48 councillors was approved by full council in July, with the Boundary Commission saying since it is “minded” to stick with this also.

A public consultation on the warding arrangements ran between August 25 and November 2 and the representations from this can now be read on the Boundary Commission’s website.

One of the key issues politically has been around Rainford, which is the biggest ward on the council but also the smallest in terms of its electoral roll.

In its submission, St Helens Labour has proposed to reduce Rainford to a two-member ward to improve “electoral equality” with the rest of the borough.

“The ward boundary is currently logical and respects the parish boundary,” the St Helens Labour group said in its submission.

“However, it is impossible to make the ward bigger, to increase the population size, without conflicting with other outlying parishes and villages, whilst being on the borough boundary to the north and west.”

At present, every ward has three councillors but moving to two-member wards will be an option once the council moves to all-out elections in 2022.

St Helens North Conservative Association has reached a similar conclusion to Labour, admitting that Rainford has “too few electors for three councillors”.

However, they believe the size of the ward and the number of electors are too large for two councillors to be able to properly cover it.

The Conservative Association has therefore recommended moving two polling districts, RFK and RFL, into the neighbouring Windle ward.

They say this will still leave Rainford with too many electors for a two-member ward, but argue that this is justified by the “preservation of the community”.

The Conservative Association also say this proposal would also “reunite” Windle parish in the Windle ward, after part of it was moved to Rainford following the last boundary review in 2003.

However, the three sitting Conservative councillors, Allan Jones, Linda Mussell and Rob Reynolds – who are all elected to Rainford – have suggested the entire Windle parish be moved to Rainford.

Cllr Jones, leader of the Conservative group, said this would be a “natural progression”.

“The Rainford Ward as it is should remain and the Windle Parish part of the Windle Ward should be added to it,” Cllr Jones said in his submission to the Boundary Commission.

“This would give the addition to the electoral roll to make the ward viable for three councillors.

“At the last boundary changes part of the Windle parish was moved from the Windle ward to the Rainford Ward so this new move would seem to be a natural progression.

“The community identity of the Windle parish is very similar to that of the existing Rainford ward (type of housing and some farming).

“The above reasons would seem to make such a move seem the natural choice to increase the electoral size of the existing Rainford ward.”

A consultation on the draft recommendations from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England will run from February 2 to April 12, 2021.