HAMPSHIRE County Council is calling on MPs to back its opposition to proposals that would change the authority's electoral divisions in the Basingstoke area.

Under proposals from the Boundary Committee for England, the present county council electoral divisions in the Basingstoke borough would be scaled down from nine to eight and two new divisions created, which would each be represented by two members.

But the county council is strongly against the creation of two-member divisions, which would also be introduced in Fareham, Gosport and Havant.

Plans are for the county council's Basingstoke North West division to disappear. The Basingstoke North division, currently with an electorate of just under 11,000, would be broadened to become a two-member division with an electorate of around 24,000. The Kingsclere and Tadley division, with a current electorate of just under 15,000, would be renamed Calleva, Kingsclere and Tadley, and have an electorate of around 24,000.

There was cross-party support for opposition to two-member divisions at a meeting of the county council.

A report to the authority said the divisions would be so large as to render effective community leadership beyond the capacity of part-time county councillors and there would be confusion among the electorate as to where responsibility lies between two elected members.

There is also concern that political group representation on the council would be distorted as there is strong potential to return two members from the same political group.

If two members are returned from different political parties, it is probable they would attempt to cover the whole division, which is unrealistic, says the report.

County council leader Cllr Ken Thornber said: "The Boundary Committee appears to have taken no account of the many disadvantages of multi-member divisions, and I firmly believe this option would undermine efficient and effective local government.

"The five two-member wards proposed for the county would have electorates ranging in size from 22,500 to 27,200, making them as large as some of the smaller Parliamentary constituencies served by full-time politicians with paid support."