A county councillor believes proposed boundary changes will leave St Albans residents "bemused".

Sandy Walkington’s comments come after a consultation has opened for the Government’s Boundary Commission proposals to redraw the boundaries of county council divisions in Hertfordshire and St Albans 

The commission’s draft recommendations propose that Hertfordshire County Council should have 78 councillors in the future, one more than they have now. The recommendations also outline how those councillors should represent 78 single-member divisions across the county.

Under the recommendations, Sandridge village has been included in a rural division to the north, which would be called Harpenden Rural - a change from the existing St Albans Rural. 

Part of the Sandridge division would also be moved to the proposed Colney Heath and Marshalswick division. 

To the south-west of the proposed Colney Heath and Marshalswick division a single-member London Colney division has been suggested. This division contains the London Colney area, as well as small parts of the fringes of St Albans itself.

In St Albans city, the only change being recommending is to the boundary of St Albans North division which would include all of Marshalswick Lane and Marshal’s Drive in Colney Heath &  Marshalswick division.

Councillor Walkington is one of 10 county councillors for St Albans. He said: "I know that this sort of issue is not normally top of people’s minds.

"But the bureaucrats have decided that absolute equality of voter numbers matters more than adherence to historic boundaries.  

"As a result - if the proposals go through - surprised residents of Cunningham Ward south of Mile House Lane will wake up to find themselves in London Colney, some residents of Ragged Hall Lane in Chiswell Green will be even more bemused to find themselves in ‘Harpenden Rural’. "

Currently each county council division comprises two St Albans District Council wards.

Under new proposals Colney Heath Parish Council would return eight parish councillors and Sandridge Parish Council would return 14 parish councillors.

Sandy added: "It has also been a clear and obvious rule that the urban communities of Harpenden and St Albans City have always had clear boundaries, with the villages maintaining their separate identities.

"Low voter participation has been a growing challenge in local government elections.

"New and arbitrary boundaries which don’t match district and parish council boundaries are going to confuse and alienate voters even more." 

To view the proposals visit: http://www.lgbce.org.uk/current-

reviews/eastern/hertfordshire/hertfordshire-county-council. The consultation ends on November 3 and final recommendations will be made in February next year.