Cotswold District Council to support Boundary Commission proposals to elect two Cotswold MPs
The Council will be writing to the Boundary Commission this week in relation to their review into parliamentary constituencies and to suggest changes to the proposed new constituencies to best reflect local communities.
Councillor Joe Harris, Leader of Cotswold District Council, said: “As populations and communities evolve over time it is important we review how those communities are represented at a national level and make sure all constituencies have the same number of residents.”
“There’s been a lot of chatter about parts of our area leaving the Cotswolds which is total rubbish. We believe the proposals put forward by the Boundary Commission would be a good solution to creating equality in our parliamentary boundaries, albeit with some changes we are putting forward.
“We are suggesting that the two new constituencies are named ‘North Cotswolds’ and ‘South Cotswolds’ to better reflect the communities within those areas.
“We are also responding on behalf of local communities who have reached out to us and as part of that, we are recommending that the Chedworth and Churn Valley Ward should form part of the proposed Cirencester and North Wiltshire constituency. It’s bonkers to think that communities like Baunton, Bagendon, North Cerney and Rendcomb who all look to Cirencester wouldn’t have the same MP as Cirencester, under the current proposals residents on one side of Baunton Lane would also have a different MP to their neighbours on the opposite side of the road!”
“This change would help even the number of electors in the two proposed constituencies and also help maintain community cohesion. We look forward to seeing the results of the latest consultation and hope our suggestions are taken into account. I would encourage residents to have a look at the proposals to see what it would mean for their community.”
The Boundary Commission’s proposals, which are currently out for consultation, are to create two new Parliamentary constituencies covering the Cotswold District, one currently titled ‘Cirencester and North Wiltshire’ which would match areas in the south and east of the district such as Cirencester, Tetbury, Lechlade and Northleach in with areas currently in North Wiltshire. The other proposed constituency provisionally named ‘The Cotswolds’, would cover large areas of the north and west Cotswolds.
The Council will be writing to the Boundary Commission this week to provide feedback with the council leader also attending a public event to pass on the suggestions.
The review was started by the independent Boundary Commission in December 2020 to review parliamentary constituencies to try and make sure each one has an equal population. The review is due to finish in 2023 when the final proposals will be made into law ahead of the next planned general election.
Residents can see how the proposals would impact their area by visiting www.bcereviews.org.uk and using the postcode checker.