Peterborough City Council, Review of parliamentary constituency boundaries

Legal and Democratic Services
Review of parliamentary constituency boundaries

A review is currently taking place of parliamentary constituency boundaries which affects the whole of the UK. There are changes locally to the existing Peterborough and the North West Cambridgeshire constituency boundaries.

The Boundary Commission for England is the independent public body that reviews all parliamentary constituency boundaries in England. It is currently conducting the 2013 review and has started a 12-week consultation period (ending 5 December 2011) for the proposed new boundaries. The council has been sent documents and maps for display and inspection.

A large map of the proposed new boundaries for the Eastern region is on display for the public to view in the reception area of the Town Hall, Bridge Street. There are also information leaflets available that can be taken away.

A more in-depth guide to the proposals i.e. a full booklet of the initial proposals, individual constituency maps and a full guide to the 2013 review are available for public inspection by appointment only at the Town Hall, either via the reception desk or by contacting Electoral Services on 452249.

The proposals mean there will be substantial changes to parliamentary constituencies in England including, reducing the total number of constituencies from 533 to 502; and making sure that each constituency contains a similar number of registered electors.

The Boundary Commission first calculated the electoral quota, by the number of registered electors in the UK being divided by the number of constituencies (not including four exempt constituencies). The current electoral quota is 76,641. Every constituency – except two covering the Isle of Wight – must have a number of registered electors that is no more than five per cent lower or higher than this figure. In practice, this means constituencies must contain between 72,810 and 80,473 electors.
Using the quota, it has allocated constituencies among the nine regions of England. Within these regions, it was not always possible to allocate whole numbers of constituencies to individual counties. In such cases, the Boundary Commission grouped some local authority areas into sub-regions and allocated constituencies within them. This means that in some instances, it has had to propose constituencies that cross county or unitary authority boundaries.
The final shape of the new constituency boundaries will be informed by consultation. The Boundary Commission encourages you to comment, whether in support of or objecting to its initial proposals. It will consider all representations fairly and may revise the constituency boundaries as a result.
How to have your say
• Online form: www.consultation.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk
• Email: reviews@bcommengland.x.gsi.gov.uk
• Attend a regional public meeting
Location: BW Gonville Hotel, Gonville Place, Cambridge, CB1 1LY
Date: 10 to 11 November 2011
Time: Day one: 11am to 8pm
Day two: 9am to 5pm
All representations will be published on the Boundary Commission website in Spring 2012 for further comment. Any revisions will be published in Autumn 2012 and may be subject to a further consultation before final recommendations are made by 1 October 2013.
For more information visit www.consultation.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk
Proposals for Peterborough
Quote from the Boundary Commission:
“We propose two constituencies covering the City of Peterborough and surrounding area, with the Peterborough North constituency containing 17 wards north of the River Nene. The six Peterborough wards to the south of the Nene, and the Peterborough ward of Eye and Thorney, are included in our Peterborough South constituency with seven wards from the District of Fenland, including the town of Whittlesey, which are from the existing North East Cambridgeshire constituency, and four wards from the north of the District of Huntingdonshire, including the towns of Ramsey and Yaxley, from the existing North West Cambridgeshire constituency.”