Brent Council has urged residents to have their say at a consultation, which will help shape the borough’s new ward boundaries at the next election.

The number of councillors will drop from 63 to 57 at the local elections in 2022, as the council agreed to follow similar reductions across other London boroughs.

It comes as part of a boundary review by the Local Government Boundary Commission, which is leading the consultation.

Brent’s last review was in 1999, but demographic changes mean that several wards have a population ten per cent higher than average.

Carolyn Downs, chief executive of Brent Council, explained that, since the specific ward boundaries are yet to be decided, everyone should take the opportunity to voice their opinions.

She said: “The Boundary Commission wants to hear the views of residents on where the boundaries should be – for example, if they should be set around town centres or make use of natural boundaries such as rivers, train lines or main roads.

“The consultation is interactive, allowing for residents to find out how Brent’s population is spread throughout the borough and suggest where the boundaries should be. I’d encourage every Brent resident to take part.”

The information gathered during the consultation will be used to devise a draft recommendation for the new ward boundaries.

This will then be reviewed via another consultation in the new year, before a formal decision is made in May 2019.

It runs until November 5, with more information, including how to submit your views, on the council’s website.