NUMEROUS wards in Bradford will undergo a shake up by 2026 – but the number of councillors in the District will stay the same.

The Boundary Commission has today (Tuesday) begun a consultation that will see changes to the 30 wards that make up the Bradford District.

Each ward will still be represented by three Councillors – meaning Bradford Council will still be made up of 90 Councillors.

The Commission says there will be changes to the wards in Baildon, Bingley and Ilkley “to provide electors in those wards with electoral equality.”

Several other wards are to be re-drawn too.

A consultation on the plans starts today, and will run for 10 weeks until February 5.

If approved, the changes are likely to come into play in the 2026 local elections.

Earlier this year the Boundary Commission reviewed whether Bradford should continue to be represented by 90 councillors.

Bradford Council and the Conservative group in Bradford both made representations asking the commission to keep the current number.

The Council’s official response said: “We need sufficient numbers of Councillors with the experience, skills and cultural competencies to ensure that the District is able to achieve its full potential, address entrenched inequalities and secure fair and effective representation for its many and diverse communities.

“A reduction in Council size would jeopardise the ability to meet those objectives and, while a case can be made for an increase in size, given the constraints on resources this would not be an appropriate course of action.

“It is our view then that a Council size of 90 must be retained in order to provide the leadership, regulation and representation that a District of this scale, diversity and complexity requires.”

Council Leader Susan Hinchliffe wrote to the commission saying: “There is a rising level of need, and with the scaling back of public services, councillors often find themselves on the frontline of support, helping residents navigate difficult conversations and complex agency pathways.”

The response by Bradford Conservative Group leader Rebecca Poulson said: “A number of residents and also elected Conservative members would prefer to see Bradford Council reduced in size.

“The increasingly important role of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the transfer of Children’s Social Care to a trust and the scaling back of council services due to budget reductions, support this instinctive opinion."

Launching the consultation, Commission chair Professor Colin Mellors said: “We want to make sure these new electoral arrangements reflect communities. We also want them to be easy to understand and convenient.

visit https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/bradford