Ward Boundary Review

What’s being shaped?

Schedule 2.2 of the Local Government Act 1995 (the Act) requires local governments that have wards to carry out a review of ward boundaries and councillor numbers every eight years.

The Local Government Advisory Board’s (the Board) general policy is that there should not be more than a plus or minus 10% deviation in the average number of electors per councillor across the wards in a local government. Where these ratios fall outside of the plus or minus 10% deviation, the Board generally requests that local governments carry out a review in accordance with the Act.

The Board has recently requested that the City undertake such a review which is to be completed by January 2023.

Not undertaking the review may result in the Board conducting its own review if the City fails to do so.

Backstory

The last review by the City was conducted in 2015, which resulted in the current system of 11 Elected Members, being 10 Councillors elected from five wards of two Councillors each, and a Mayor elected at large.

While the City is not due to undertake a review until 2023, there is an imbalance between the ratio of electors per Councillor between wards. As at March 2022, the Beeliar Ward was outside the range considered acceptable by the WA Local Government Advisory Board (LGAB)

The effect is that Beeliar ward is over represented and to a lesser degree Mason ward under represented. The City should act to correct this imbalance.

Get Involved

There are a significant range of options that can be considered. These might involve the number and naming of wards, the levels of Council representation in each, or the existence of wards at all.

Recognising the multiple configurations of ward boundaries possible, at the general level some options available to the Council include:

• Dispensing with wards altogether;
• Changing the number and size of wards;
• Combining existing wards;
• Moving ward boundaries to deal with the imbalance;
• Changing the number of Councillors; or
• A combination of the above factors.

The City provides more detail on four options in its Discussion Paper

We invite the community to make a written submission about any aspect of this review. Submissions are due by 12 November 2022 and can be made:

• Online via the Feedback Form below
• By mail to the CEO, City of Canning, Locked Bag 80, Welshpool, WA, 6986
• By delivery to the City offices at 1317 Albany Highway, Cannington during normal office hours.
  
  

What are the next steps?

Council resolves to undertake the review – Council decision made at the 20 September 2022 Ordinary Council Meeting.

Public submission period opens - 24 September 2022

Public submission period closes – 12 November 2022

Council considers all submissions and relevant factors and makes a decision – scheduled to occur at 13 December 2022 Ordinary Council Meeting.

Council submits a report to the Local Government Advisory Board (the Board) for its consideration

If a change is proposed, the Board submits a recommendation to the Minister for Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries

Any changes approved by the Minister will be in place where possible for the next ordinary election in October 2023.