LABOUR councillors have expressed concern over proposals to redraw the council wards of the city.

The plans, published yesterday by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, will redraw the lines of almost every ward in the city, with a new wards created in Round Hill and Kemp Town.

While Withdean and Hove Park will be merged to create a ward that crosses the traditional boundary between Brighton and Hove.

Should the draft proposals be approved, there will be 10 wards with three councillors and 12 wards with two councillors.

However, a Labour spokesman said that the number of wards with three councillors in the west of the city risks a disconnect between representatives and their constituents.

He said: "Two-member wards of 8,000 rather than 13,000 would ensure elected councillors are closer to the communities they represent."

Despite this, the spokesman added that some of the proposals put forward by the commission look "promising", in particularly in the eastern part of the city, "where it looks like closer-knit communities may be represented together".

"We will continue to consult our members and put the city first as we consider our response to the consultation," he said.

A report with the draft proposals stated that the Labour group had called for a "a uniform pattern of two-councillor wards across the city" and that representation would be improved by having smaller wards with councillors "more tuned in to the issues of interest to that area".

The local Green Party have objected to some of the proposals made by the commission, in particular the proposed Westdene and Hove Park ward, which would merge two wards either side of the traditional boundary of Hove with Brighton.

A spokeswoman for the party said: "In the initial consultation, we argued strongly for the retention of the historic Portslade and Hove boundaries.

"We are disappointed to see that the historic Hove has boundary not been retained.

"We feel strongly that the commission must visit the city to get a clearer sense of the communities that define the geographical areas of the city that simply won't have been possible in a virtual 'tour' of the city."

Changes to the boundaries of the city's wards would come into effect in time for next year's local elections.

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