A review of Croydon’s electoral boundaries could see the number of council seats slashed. 

The borough’s Conservative opposition group has tabled to proposals to slash the headcount of councillors in the chamber from 70 to 60, citing the progress of technology which has reduced members’ workloads.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England is currently carrying out an review of Croydon’s electoral arrangements and will make recommendations on the number of councillors and wards in August.

The Tories, who currently hold 30 of the 70 existing seats on the council, said there was a “clear moral case” for cutting councillor numbers and cuts to other departments meant maintaining the status quo was “unjustifiable”.

The group’s submission to the boundary review reads: “The one area of council activity which has seen no cutbacks in costs at all is that of members, who are remunerated with a basic allowance and some members receive substantial additional responsibility allowances. 

“It seems quite unjustifiable that members should cost the same now as they did in 2006 when all other council spends have diminished – and that on employed staff dramatically so.”

RELATED: Political map of Croydon 'certain to change' in upcoming boundary review

Speaking at a full council meeting on Monday, Jason Perry, Conservative councillor for Croham, said the “advent of digital and email working has made the role of a councillor much more efficient”.

Cllr Perry, who has sat on the council for 22 years, suggesting the modern-day workload of elected members had been significantly reduced by the outsourcing of council services.

He said: “It would now be hard to imagine a group of councillors sitting in the chamber to the late evening discussing tenants rent arrears.”

And he added: “The people want less government, not more.”

But the majority Labour group, which took control of the town hall in 2014 on a seven-seat swing, wants the boundary review to maintain the number of elected members.

Labour holds 39 seats in the chamber after Thornton Heath councillor Matthew Kyeremeh was expelled from the party earlier this year.

At Monday’s meeting, Labour’s cabinet member for finance Simon Hall conceded that “in these difficult times, there is a need for restraint”.

But he argued that the rise of social media had in fact increased and diversified councillor’s workload.

His Labour colleague, councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed, who represents Broad Green, spoke passionately about the role councillors play in people’s daily lives.

She said: “Let’s recognise and celebrate the role of 70 councillors in Croydon.”

Each Croydon councillor is entitled to a basic allowance of £11,239, with cabinet and committee members receiving significantly more.

According to the Conservatives, cutting the number of elected members by 10 would save the council about £112,000 per year from an annual allowance budget of approximately £1.45m.

Croydon has more councillors than any other London borough, although it also has a larger population than most.

Number of elected members at London borough councils (Greater London Authority 2015 population estimate)

Barking and Dagenham: 51 (203,600)

Barnet: 53 (383,100)

Bexley: 63 (240,600)

Brent: 63 (325,300)

Bromley: 60 (324,600)

Camden: 54 (237,400)

Croydon: 70 (380,700)

Ealing: 69 (349,700)

Enfield: 63 (329,00)

Greenwich: 51 (273,00)

Hackney: 57 (265,300)

Hammersmith and Fulham: 46 (181,700)

Haringey: 57 (271,800)

Harrow: 63 (249,800)

Havering: 54 (247,700)

Hillingdon: 65 (296,500)

Hounslow: 60

Islington: 48 (224,600)

Kensington and Chelsea: 50 (156,900)

Kingston-upon-Thames: 48 (170,900)

Lambeth: 63  (322,600)

Lewisham: 54 (294,100)

Merton: 57 (208,500)

Newham: 60 (332,600)

Redbridge: 63 (297,400)

Richmond-upon-Thames: 54 (196,200)

Southwark: 63 (306,700)

Sutton: 54 (201,200)

Tower Hamlets: 45 (287,100)

Waltham Forest: 60 (273,900)

Wandsworth: 60 (318,000)

Westminster: 60 (235,000)