Braintree Council's electoral review group is to be reconvened after the Boundary Commission rejected its new voting proposals.

An appeal has gone out to voters to make their views known before it is too late.

Cllr John Kotz called on the public, representatives of groups and parish councils to have their say.

"People must make their views felt now, this is an important issue and the public has a right to object.

"Everyone must take this opportunity and not leave it until it is too late," he said.

The commission is insisting that the number of district councillors remains at 60, despite the council's proposals to cut the number to 52.

The commission report reads: "While we consider the council's proposals have some merit, we have not been persuaded that they would adequately reflect community ties in several areas, most notably in the Black Notley area and the north of the district."

The new proposals, which would affect most wards in the district, include the merging of existing wards including Coggeshall and Cressing and Terling and Black Notley.

Supporting the reconvening of the electoral review group, Cllr Kotz said: "We believed that our plan best fitted the need for equality of representation and to keep communities together.

"The Boundary Commission proposals would lead to inequalities across the area and we are disappointed that they have turned out model down.

"A number of councillors, especially in the south of the district, are very unhappy at the way the new boundaries actually split communities."

The review group is meeting this week and next and a special meeting of full council has been called for July 3.

The consultation period runs until July 10. Copies of the proposals are available from Braintree Council offices, any of their information points and at local libraries.

Comments should be sent to the Review Manager (Braintree Review) Local Government Commission for England, Dolphyn Court, 10/11 Great Turnstile, London WC1V 7JU, telephone 020 7430 8400

e-mail: reviews@lgce.gov.uk

website www.lgce.gov.uk

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.