Review panel suggests rise in Wyndham councillor numbers

Wyndham residents will be represented by 12 councillors, increasing to 15 as the city’s population grows, if a recommendation made by a state government-appointed panel is adopted.

The local government election review panel was set up after the 2012 council elections.

Earlier this month, the panel released its review, making 55 recommendations on how the system could be changed.

One of its recommendations was that councillor numbers should be determined by the number of voters in each municipality, with voters being represented by either six, nine, 12 or 15 councillors.

It said the municipalities with between 40,001 and 130,000 voters should be represented by 12 councillors, while those with more than 130,000 voters should have 15-member councils.

At the last election, Wyndham had more than 114,000 registered voters, meaning the number of councillors elected would increase from 11 to 12 at the next election if the recommendation is adopted.

The panel suggested changes be made to the countback process that is used to elect a new councillor if another councillor resigns.

Currently, the votes of the resigning councillor are recounted and distributed among the other candidates according to preferences.

The panel recommended that all votes cast in the ward where the vacancy exists should be recounted.

Submissions can be made at www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/localgovernment until Monday, November 3.