Seven of our Councillors are missing?

Some of the terminology used in local democracy can be a bit confusing so here is an explanation of "Ward".

The City of Bristol is broken down into 34 Wards. Here is a map of the Wards in the City of Bristol.

Ward Populations

Each ward/division has an average electorate of about 5,500 people, but ward population counts can vary substantially. - Wikipedia

Bristol is one of the 11 UK ‘Core Cities’ and the 8th largest city in England and Wales outside of London with an estimated population of 483,000 (mid-2023). Bristol’s population grew by an estimated 44,000 people over the decade (2013-23), a 10% increase compared to 6.8% in England and Wales. Bristol was the second fastest growing of all the Core Cities in England and Wales, after Manchester whose population increased by 13.5%. In the 12 months to mid-2023, the population of Bristol grew by 4,362 (0.9%) up from 478,600 (mid-2022). The main factor behind this growth was the continuing increase in international migration. - Mid-2023 Population Estimates for Bristol (Bristol City Council)

There are 70 Councillors in the 34 Wards of Bristol. If you use the estimated population figure of 483,000 this means each Councillor represents an average of 6,900 people. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (pop: 400,000) has a smaller population than Bristol (483,000) but has got 76 Councillors, which is 6 more than Bristol. Perhaps Bristol should have at least six more Councillors? Given the population growth in the population of Bristol we should have one additional Councillor every year just to keep the current ratio between population and councillor numbers.

Ward Populations range from "Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston" (pop: 22,169) to "Hotwells and Harbourside" (pop: 6,037)

Bigger Wards have more Councillors than smaller wards.

The number of Councillors in a Ward is primarily based on the population of the Ward. But the table below shows that "Lawrence Hill" with 2 Councillors has a bigger population than "Hartcliffe and Withywood", who have 3 Councillors. Perhaps Lawrence Hill should have another Councillor?

Population per Crime

Population per Planning Application