Lake Macquarie residents have been invited to comment on proposed changes to the city's electoral ward boundaries ahead of the next local government elections.
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The council is required to ensure that the variance in elector numbers between the wards remains below 10 per cent. August 2022 statistics show a variance across the three wards of 11.28 per cent.
Currently East Ward has the lowest number of electors and West Ward has the highest.
The number of electors in Lake Macquarie is expected to increase by 25,000 by 2040 with significant growth expected to occur in West and North wards around Morisset and Cameron Park
"Due to the continued population growth forecast in West Ward, it is necessary to redistribute electors from that ward to allow for this growth, while maintaining a variance across all three wards of less than 10 per cent," the council report said.
"This has a flow-on effect to the North and East wards, which are projected to grow at a slower rate."
The proposed boundary changes will see some whole suburbs change wards to address elector variance, while in other cases, such as changes to Dudley, Gateshead, Whitebridge and Cardiff, only minor adjustments are proposed to bring a small group of electors into the same ward as the rest of their suburb.
The next local government election will be held in September 2024.
The council resolved on Monday to endorse an amended Ward Boundary proposal for community consultation for 42 days.
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Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
