📢 The Elms to remain within Long Ashton Ward

On Tuesday 29 September 2026, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) published its final recommendations for the electoral arrangements of North Somerset Council, bringing an important stage of the boundary review process to a close.

The LGBCE has confirmed that The Elms will remain within Long Ashton ward, avoiding the division of Wraxall & Failand parish between two electoral wards.

The decision follows a strong response during the consultation on the Commission’s draft recommendations, which had proposed moving The Elms from Long Ashton ward into a Nailsea ward.

The LGBCE received 179 submissions during its consultation on the draft recommendations, of which 147 specifically commented on the proposal to include The Elms in a Nailsea ward. Of these, 136 objected to the proposal and 11 supported it.

The Commission received representations from North Somerset Council’s Electoral Services team, which raised concerns about the proposed transfer of The Elms from Long Ashton ward into a Nailsea ward.

Wraxall & Failand Parish Council, North Somerset Councillors Cartman and Dunn, Wraxall & Failand Parish Councillors, and many local residents argued that The Elms forms an integral part of the Wraxall & Failand community and should remain within Long Ashton ward.

The consultation responses highlighted the many existing links between The Elms and the wider Wraxall & Failand community, as well as the recent Community Governance Review and associated consultation, in which residents expressed a clear preference for The Elms to remain with Wraxall & Failand parish.

The LGBCE also considered arguments that the use of shops, services and facilities in Nailsea did not, in itself, demonstrate that The Elms forms part of the Nailsea community. Many respondents described The Elms as part of a rural or semi-rural community, with interests and connections more closely aligned with Wraxall & Failand than with the urban area of Nailsea.

In its final recommendations, the Commission stated that while it continued to recognise the physical links between The Elms and Nailsea, it had been “persuaded by the evidence received that there are strong community links between The Elms and Wraxall & Failand parish, including civic, social and community connections.”

As a result, the LGBCE confirmed that it recommends to retain The Elms within Long Ashton ward and avoid dividing Wraxall & Failand parish between two electoral wards.

Thank you to everyone who took part

The Parish Council would like to thank all residents who took the time to respond to the consultation, share their views and explain why The Elms is an important part of the Wraxall & Failand community.

The Parish Council would also like to thank North Somerset Council, North Somerset Councillors Cartman and Dunn and parish councillors who submitted representations, provided evidence and helped make the case for keeping The Elms together with the rest of Wraxall & Failand in Long Ashton ward.

The strength and detail of the responses demonstrated the importance that residents place on existing community connections. The LGBCE’s final recommendations reflect the evidence put forward during the consultation and recognise the strong links between The Elms and Wraxall & Failand.

What happens next?

The LGBCE has now completed its review of North Somerset Council.

The recommendations must now be approved by Parliament. A draft Order, the legal document that will bring the recommendations into force, will be laid before Parliament for scrutiny.

Subject to parliamentary approval, the new electoral arrangements will come into force at the 2027 local elections.

 

 

LGBCE’s final recommendations for electoral arrangements in North Somerset can be found in the report attached below.