Residents are being asked to have their say on new boundaries for Trafford Council elections.
Currently, the authority is made up of 63 councillors — a number that is set to stay the same.
However, the Local Government Boundary Commission has recommended the ward map should be redrawn in order to make sure each councillor represents the same number of residents.
As part of the process, the independent body says it is keen to hear which communities should share the same ward — which is where the people of Trafford come in.
“We want our proposals for new electoral arrangements to reflect communities,” Prof Colin Mellors, chair of the commission said, adding that “we also want them to be easy to understand and convenient for local people”.
“Residents and local organisations can help us understand community ties and identities at this early stage of the process.”
The commission says it is interested in views on which communities should be part of the same ward based on factors like what facilities people share — including parks, leisure centres, schools, and shopping areas.
Other unifying criteria for a community could include shared issues like high numbers of visitors or heavy traffic, or if new housing or commercial developments have changed the focus of an area.
That’s alongside the traditional physical boundary markers such as roads, rivers, railways or other features that residents believe form strong dividing lines between neighbourhoods.
