Skip to content

Proposals to redraw political boundaries in the west of England submitted

ANDREA LIGGIERI Bristol Suspension BridgeANDREA LIGGIERI
Bristol North East will become a new seat in the city

Proposals to redraw political boundaries and increase the number of MPs in the west of England have been submitted to Parliament.

The Boundary Commission for England says the plans will make the size of constituencies more equal.

Altogether, 13 new constituencies will have new names and only the Forest of Dean will remain completely untouched in the proposals.

The proposals are due to be ratified later this year.

Among the constituencies set to have new boundaries and new names are:

  • South Cotswolds
  • Tiverton and Minehead
  • Bristol North East
  • East Wiltshire
Boundary Commission for England Boundary Commission for EnglandBoundary Commission for England

Glenn Reid, Boundary Commission for England review manager, said a number of the constituencies in the country have electorates that are either very small or very large.

He said: "For example some as few as 55,000. The current Bristol West has 100,000 electors.

"There hasn't been a review since 2006, so the purpose is to try to equalise constituency electorates, so all the electorates in England, or the whole of the UK, will be between about 70,000 and 77,000.

"We are independent of any ministerial or political control. We do not report to ministers, our report goes to the speaker of the house.

"We pride ourselves on our ability to remain entirely neutral and to demonstrate that neutrality."

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]