Have a say on new electoral borders

OUTLYING rural wards in the borough will remain in the Parliamentary constituency of Bosworth under revised proposals.

The Boundary Commission is consulting on plans to reduce the number of election areas in England from 533 to 501. This would mean a loss of two constituencies in the East Midlands, down from 46 to 44.

Legislation says each constituency must have an electorate that is no smaller than 71,031 and no larger than 78,507.

Under the Commission’s initial blueprint the Bosworth constituency boundary would have been redrawn to include the five wards along the southern edge of North West Leicestershire district - Appleby, Ibstock East and West, Sence Valley and Ellistown and Battlefield - while Ratby, Thornton and Bagworth moved into Charnwood along with Groby, Markfield, Stanton and Fieldhead.

However, when this idea went out for public scrutiny there was cross party criticism, with Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats all objecting.

The North West Leicestershire Labour Party stated: “The current arrangement works well for North West Leicestershire with the constituency being coterminous with the local authority. The villages of Ibstock and Ellistown have much greater local ties with Coalville than either Market Bosworth or Hinckley. Similarly, Shepshed has greater local ties with Loughborough.”

A rethink by the Commission means North West Leicestershire remains unchanged while the Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council wards of Ratby, Bagworth and Thornton stay in the Bosworth constituency.

There is no reprieve for Groby, Markfield Stanton and Fieldhead, with a combined electorate of around 10,000. Plans to include them in Charnwood still stand.

Long-standing Bosworth MP David Tredinnick said he would prefer no change at all but acknowledged some alteration was required to accommodate the requirements of the commission.

Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, borough ward representative for Ratby, Bagworth and Thornton, said: “Personally I’d like to see all the borough wards retained in the Bosworth constituency.

“Markfield, Stanton and Fieldhead are as close to Hinckley as to Charnwood and I believe have closer links.”

People are being urged to study the proposals and air their views.

The public consultation period ends on Monday December 11.

Visit www.bce2018.org.uk for details of the changes and how to comment.