Boundary changes could change shape of politics
Maidstone and Faversham constituencies facing shake-up
There could be some big changes ahead for Maidstone’s political map.
At present the town’s voters cast their ballots in either the Maidstone and the Weald or the Faversham and Mid Kent constituency.
But both of those could go under boundary changes proposed by the Boundary Commission, published this week.
In future, the commission proposes one constituency to represent Maidstone town.
It would be called simply Maidstone and will include Bearsted and Grove Green.
But all of Maidstone’s Weald villages, such as Headcorn, Staplehurst, Marden and Yalding, will join a new constituency known as Mid Kent and Ticehurst. This will include a number of villages from Ashford such as Biddenden, Rolvenden and Tenterden, and also, as the name suggests, Ticehurst, which is actually across the border in East Sussex.
Less obviously, voters in East Farleigh, Loose and Coxheath will also find themselves in the new Mid Kent and Ticehurst area.Voters in Tunbridge Wells will also see big changes.
The Tunbridge Wells constituency will be renamed Tunbridge Wells and Crowborough, to include six wards from the East Sussex borough of Wealden. Geographically the constituency moves considerably westwards into East Sussex and much of the Kent parts previously within Tunbridge Wells such as Goudhurst, Hawkhurst, Paddock Wood and Cranbrook now go to the Mid Kent and Ticehurst constituency.
Tonbridge and Malling will also be split up.
Tonbridge becomes a constituency in its own right, but will include Edenbridge and some villages from Tunbridge Wells such as Pembury.
Some of the villages previously in Tonbridge and Malling, such as East Malling, West Malling, Leybourne and Kings Hill will become part of a new constituency called Chatham and The Mallings, which will also include Snodland, along with Princes Park, Walderslade, Luton and Chatham Central.
Wrotham, currently in Tonbridge and Malling, becomes part of Sevenoaks.
Voters in Faversham, formerly aligned with the electorate in Maidstone’s Shepway and Park Wood, will now find themselves in bed with those in Canterbury instead in a new Canterbury and Faversham constituency.
The purpose of the reorganisation is to reduce the overall number of MPs in the House of Commons from 650 to 600 and to ensure a more even spread of voters per constituency, with each Parliamentary electorate falling between 71,631 and 78,507 voters.
Kent currently has 17 constituencies and will retain that number after the re-organisation, but two of them become crossborder, including people in East Sussex.
The public have until December 11 to give their views on the proposed changes. If they go on to be adopted by MPs, the changes would come into effect in 2022.
To view the full proposal, visit: www.bce2018.org.uk