North East set two lose two MPs in restructure
THE North East region is to lose two MPs, as part of a new review of constituencies.
New boundaries are likely to be introduced before the next general election, which is due in 2024. It’s too soon to predict how constituencies will change, or which MPs are likely to be affected.
The independent Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has begun a new review of all parliamentary constituencies in England. It completed a review in 2018, designed to cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600, but this has been abandoned after the Government announced it will no longer go ahead with the cut.
While the number of MPs is not changing, there is concern that some constituencies have significantly more voters than others - which effectively means some votes are worth less.
The new review is designed to ensure every constituency is roughly of equal size.
The total UK electorate has been announced by the Office for National Statistics as 47,558,398, which means the number of electors in each recommended mainland English constituency must be no less than 69,724 and no more than 77,062.
The Boundary Commission for England has already calculated that the total number of seats in the North East region will fall from 29 to 27.
This includes the Tees Valley area, including Middlesbrough, Darlington and Redcar, as well as Newcastle, Sunderland, Northumberland, Durham, Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside.
It means that some or all of the constituencies in the region will change, and some are likely change significantly.
It is now to begin a detailed review to consider how exactly the political map of the region should be transformed.
At the same time, the number of MPs in some other parts of the country will increase.
In London, the number will go from 73 to 75 MPs, while in the East Midlands it goes up from 46 to 47.
England as a whole will have 543 constituencies, ten more than there are currently.
The Boundary Commission for England says it will publish its initial proposals for boundary changes in the early summer. There will then be an eight-week consultation period.
The Commission must submit its final report and recommendations to the Speaker of the House of Commons by July 2023.
“This means that the new bound
aries could be in place by the time of the next election, which is currently due to take place in May 2024.
Tim Bowden, Secretary to the Boundary Commission for England said: “Parliament has set strict rules on greater equality of electorate size between the new constituencies - these rules and the increase in total number of constituencies in England mean that there is likely to be a large degree of change across the country.
“Once we publish our initial proposals in the summer, we will need the help of residents in all regions to ensure that our proposals take account of local ties and best reflect the geography on the ground. “