Effective representation for wards and subdivisions
The Local Government Commission Representation Review Guidelines provide further detail [2].
Fair representation
When looking at representation arrangements, the council must ensure that electors of any wards or local board subdivisions receive fair representation [3].
This relates to the population of each ward and subdivision compared to the number of elected representatives for each ward and subdivision. The ratio should be no more than 10% greater or smaller than the average [4].
The council may propose a scheme that does not comply with the ratio required for fair representation in certain circumstances, including where [5]:
i) non-compliance is needed to ensure effective representation of communities of interest within island or isolated communities
ii) compliance would limit effective representation of communities of interest within the district [6], for example the rural wards of Rodney and Franklin.