Somerset residents have been given the first glimpse of how the electoral map of their county could change shape by next year's local elections, with alterations possible in the Shepton Mallet area.

Work is under way to create a new unitary authority to replace Somerset County Council and the four district councils by April 2023, following a decision by the government in July.

The five existing councils had all spoken in favour of retaining the existing electoral boundaries for the May 2022 local elections, with a view to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) conducting a full review after the new council formally took office.

But the government ordered the councils to think again, giving them until October to put forward option for how the map should be redrawn.

The five councils have now submitted their proposed options, with the government making a final decision later in the year.

Here's what you need to know:

Why is this being done now?

The short answer is: because the government decided it was necessary.

The One Somerset business case – put forward by the county council – argued the easiest option would be to hold the 2022 local elections (which had been delayed by a year) on the existing division boundaries.

The number of councillors elected in May 2022 would have doubled from 55 to 110, with a subsequent boundary review slimming the overall number down to 100.

But before losing his job in the recent cabinet reshuffle, then-communities secretary Robert Jenrick MP ordered the five councils to think again, stating the government wanted Somerset to be ruled by between 85 and 90 councillors in total.

How have the five councils reacted?

County council leader David Fothergill said he had "real concerns" to say about the boundary changes when he wrote to the newly-appointed communities secretary Michael Gove MP on Friday (September 17).

He said: "While we all believe that a boundary review is both necessary and appropriate, we also agree that it should be given the due consideration, time and consultation to achieve the vision for Somerset, as set out in the single unitary business case.

"Given the parameters and timescale set out for this current boundary review, it would appear that no satisfactory warding option can be developed to meet that vision."

Specifically, Mr Fothergill – and his four district counterparts – raised concerns about any new wards being too large and representing unequal numbers of people, which could lead to a localised democratic deficit.

This is turn, they argued, would undermine efforts to improve local decision-making through the proposed local community networks (LCNs), which would have their own budgets and decision-making powers.

Without proper public consultation, they argued there would be a "lack of transparency and engagement" which would undermine the very aims of the new unitary council.

Mr Fothergill said: "At the start of the new authority, it is absolutely right that we should have the appropriate governance arrangement and structures to make it successful.

"The current timescale creates a major risk to that creation. We would ask that more time be given to allow for a recast of the options.

"It is imperative that we get this right for Somerset."

What are the proposals on the table?

Broadly speaking, there are three proposals which the councils have put forward for how the county could be organised:

Option 1: combining current district ward boundaries in a different way to leave 85 councillors

Option 2: combining current district ward boundaries to leave 100 councillors

Option 3: using the current county council division boundaries and doubling up the number of representatives to leave 110 councillors

However, the councils have put forward different combinations for Options 1 and 2, showing how the numbers could be achieved with either single-member wards (1a and 2a) or a mixture of single and multi-member wards (2a and 2b) – so technically there are five options on the table for the government.

What's the easiest option?

If chosen, Option 3 will see the the least amount of change, since it will largely amount to the existing county council division boundaries being retained, but with two councillors for each division instead of one.

The only major change will come in Glastonbury and Street, which currently is the only two-member division on the council.

Rather than keeping the existing boundaries and ending up with a cumbersome four-member seat, the two settlements will be split up and will each elect tour councillors.

What about Option 1a?

If Option 1a is selected, here are some of the changes which will be implemented:

• Castle Cary and Sparkford will be in the same ward, as will Bruton and the villages east of Wincanton
• The number of Chard wards will be reduced from five to two
• The number of Frome wards will be reduced by one
• The number of Minehead wards will be reduced from four to two, with Porlock and Dulverton merging with the rest of Exmoor
• The number of Taunton wards will be reduced to eight
• The number of Wellington wards will be reduced from four to three, with the east of the town joining up with the rural Monument ward

What about Option 1b?

If Option 1b is selected, here are some of the changes which will be implemented:

• Bridgwater will be split into two wards, with North Petherton joining up with Cannington and villages to the east of the Quantock Hills
• Castle Cary and Bruton will be in the same ward
• Frome will be split into two wards, while Wells will only get one
• Glastonbury and Street will each have one ward
• Minehead and Porlock will form a single ward, with the rest of Exmoor joining up with Milverton and the surrounding villages
• Taunton will have four wards, with the Staplegrove community joining up with Bishop's Lydeard and villages to the west of the Quantock Hills
• Watchet and Williton will merge with Old Cleeve and the Quantock Vale ward
• Wellington will have a single ward, with Rockwell Green joining up with villages in the Blackdown Hills
• Yeovil will be split into three wards

What about Option 2a?

If Option 2a is selected, here are some of the changes which will be implemented:

• Evercreech and Nunney will be in the same ward
• The number of Frome wards will be reduced by one
• Both Glastonbury and Street will see their number of wards reduced from four to two
• The southern part of Minehead will be joined up with Porlock and the northern part of Exmoor, with southern Exmoor joining up with Dulverton
• The number of Taunton wards will be reduced to eight

What about Option 2b?

If Option 2b is selected, here are some of the changes which will be implemented:

• Bridgwater will be split into two wards, with Cannington and North Petherton being in separate wards
• Frome will have two wards, with the villages around the town joining up with the likes of Butleigh and Ditcheat
• Glastonbury and Street will each get one ward
• Taunton will have six wards, while Wellington will have only one
• Yeovil will be divided into four wards

What happens next?

The newly-renamed Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) will consider the councils' proposed options in the run-up to Christmas.

Mr Gove is expected to make a final decision around this time and place legislation before parliament before the end of arch 2022 to implement the decided boundaries.

The local elections are expected to be held on May 5, 2022.