London looks to rejig ward boundaries to chagrin of some councillors [Video]

An unexpectedly tense debate about adjusting London’s electoral boundaries saw Councillor Hadleigh McAlister leave mid-meeting and claim his ward is being carved up to satisfy the rest of London.

On Tuesday, the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee (SPPC) met to consider a pair of maps prepared by a consultant that aim to redistribute London’s population more evenly between its 14 wards while not dividing neighbourhoods with similar interests.

Uneven population growth has resulted in a growing disparity between wards.

They range from 27,299 residents in Ward 2 (Argyle) to 49,914 in Ward 7 (Hyde Park).

It has led to uneven workloads for councillors and significant differences in “representation by population” during municipal elections.

There was generally support among members of SPPC for the consultant’s Option 1, but several motions came forward to make adjustments to the map.

McAlister told colleagues he intended to bring two motions forward to adjust the …