Edited sentence: As a transitory measure, and in order to create a continuity with the abolished common council, the 26 existing aldermen would be entitled to sit as "additional life members" of the new council.Councillors would have a three-year term of office, with one councillor in each ward retiring annually.It was expressly stated that aldremen were not to form a permanent part of the new body.It was felt that in each case the membership was too large, and did not allow for effective administration.On reviewing England and Wales outside London, it was discovered that the council of even the most populous municipal borough had no more than 72 members.The area would be divided into 24 wards with three councillors elected for each ward.The commission considered the optimum number of members of the new local authorities.The electoral franchise would be the same as that for urban district councils under the Local Government Act 1894, and there would be 72 councillors.The existing Common Council of the City had 232 members, the Commissioners of Sewers had 92, while the mamximum number of members of a vestry or district board was 120.The report recommended the creation of a new local authority for the area of the existing City, to be known as the "Mayor and Council of the Old City".They would be empowered to elect a mayor from among the citizens of the Old City