Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the timetable is for the full Boundary Review of local councils.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England has no current plans to carry out a single programme of electoral reviews for all local authorities in England.

The Commission administers a rolling programme of electoral reviews and can include local authorities if they meet one or more of the following criteria:

• If a council has high levels of electoral inequality, where some councillors represent many more, or many fewer, voters than the average for the local authority area. The Commission targets authorities where the number of electors in 30% or more wards or divisions varies from the average of the council by 10% or more. Where one ward or division varies by 30% or more, the Commission will also consider carrying out a review. In both cases, the Commission will carry out a review if it believes the variances will not be corrected, without a review, within a reasonable period of time.
• If a council has not undergone an electoral review in more than 12 years.
• Where the Commission has been asked to carry out an electoral review.

In the financial year 2019/20, the Commission plans to initiate electoral reviews in 25 English local authorities selected through the criteria set out above.