Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the South East region Contents Summary 3 1 What is the Boundary Commission for England? 5 2 Background to the 2018 Review 7 3 Initial proposals for the South East region 11 Initial proposals for the Berkshire sub-region 12 Initial proposals for the Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, 13 Kent, and Medway sub-region Initial proposals for the West Sussex sub-region 16 Initial proposals for the Buckinghamshire 17 and Milton Keynes sub-region Initial proposals for the Hampshire, Portsmouth 18 and Southampton sub-region Initial proposals for the Isle of Wight sub-region 20 Initial proposals for the Oxfordshire sub-region 20 Initial proposals for the Surrey sub-region 21 4 How to have your say 23 Annex A: Initial proposals for constituencies, 27 including wards and electorates Glossary 53 Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the South East region 1 Summary Who we are and what we do Our proposals leave 15 of the 84 existing constituencies unchanged. We propose The Boundary Commission for England only minor changes to a further 47 is an independent and impartial constituencies, with two wards or fewer non -departmental public body which is altered from the existing constituencies. responsible for reviewing Parliamentary constituency boundaries in England. The rules that we work to state that we must allocate two constituencies to the Isle The 2018 Review of Wight. Neither of these constituencies is required to have an electorate that is within We have the task of periodically reviewing the requirements on electoral size set out the boundaries of all the Parliamentary in the rules. constituencies in England. We are currently conducting a review on the basis of rules In Berkshire, two of the eight existing set by Parliament in 2011. The rules tell constituencies are unchanged, while four are us that we must make recommendations changed only by the transfer of one ward. for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in September 2018. They In Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, also result in a significant reduction in Kent, and Medway, two of the 25 existing the number of constituencies in England constituencies are unaltered and one is (from 533 to 501), and require that every reconfigured slightly due to rewarding. constituency – apart from two specified A further four are altered only by the exceptions – must have an electorate that transfer of one ward. is no smaller than 71,031 and no larger than 78,507. In Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, one of the seven existing constituencies is Initial proposals unchanged. We published our initial proposals for In Hampshire, Portsmouth, and the new Parliamentary constituency Southampton, three of the 18 existing boundaries in England on 13 September constituencies are unaltered, while a 2016. Information about the proposed further four are altered only by the transfer constituencies is now available on our of one ward. website. In the County of Oxfordshire, one of the What is changing in the six existing constituencies is unchanged, South East? while one is changed only by the transfer of one ward. The South East region has been allocated 83 constituencies – a reduction of one from In Surrey, five of the existing 11 the current number. constituencies are unaltered, while three of the remaining six are altered only by the transfer of one ward. Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the South East region 3 Sub-region Existing allocation Proposed allocation Berkshire 8 8 Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, Kent, and Medway 25 24 Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes 7 7 Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton 18 17 Isle of Wight 1 2 Oxfordshire 6 6 Surrey 11 11 West Sussex 8 8 In West Sussex, one of the existing eight We further propose two constituencies that constituencies is unchanged and one is contain electors from Kent, and Medway. reconfigured slightly due to rewarding. One crosses the boundary at Higham, A further five are changed only by the combining it with Rochester, and the other transfer of one ward. at Chatham, combining it with East and West Malling. As it has not always been possible to allocate whole numbers of constituencies How to have your say to individual counties, we have grouped some county and local authority areas We are consulting on our initial proposals into sub-regions. The number of for a 12-week period, from 13 September constituencies allocated to each sub-region 2016 to 5 December 2016. We encourage is determined by the electorate of the everyone to use this opportunity to help combined local authorities. us shape the new constituencies – the more views we hear, the more informed our Consequently, it has been necessary to decisions will be when considering whether propose some constituencies that cross to revise our proposals. county or unitary authority boundaries. Our website at www.bce2018.org.uk has We have proposed one constituency more information about how to respond that contains electors from Brighton and as well as details of where and when we Hove, and East Sussex; it crosses the will be holding public hearings in your boundary on the south coast, combining area. You can also follow us on Twitter the east of the City of Brighton and Hove @BCE2018 or using #2018boundaryreview. with Newhaven and Seaford. We propose one constituency that contains electors from East Sussex and Kent; it crosses the boundary at The Weald, combining the towns of Crowborough and Tenterden. 4 Boundary Commission for England 1 What is the Boundary Commission for England? 1 The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) is an independent and You can find further information on our impartial non-departmental public body website, at www.bce2018.org.uk. You which is required to review Parliamentary can also contact us with any general constituency boundaries in England. We enquiries by emailing information@ conduct a review of all the constituencies boundarycommissionengland.gov.uk, in England every five years. Our role is to or by calling 020 7276 1102. make recommendations to Parliament for new constituency boundaries. 2 The Chair of the Commission is the Speaker of the House of Commons, but by convention he does not participate in the review. The current Deputy Chair, Mrs Justice Patterson, and two further Commissioners, take decisions on proposals and recommendations for new constituency boundaries. Further information about the Commissioners can be found on our website.1 1 At www.bce2018.org.uk Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the South East region 5 2 Background to the 2018 Review 3 We are currently conducting a review 5 This is a significant change to the old of Parliamentary constituency boundaries rules under which Parliamentary boundary on the basis of rules set by Parliament in reviews took place, in which achieving as 2011. 2 These rules require us to reduce the close to the average number of electors number of constituencies in the UK and in each constituency was an aim, but make more equal the number of electors in there was no statutory fixed permissible each constituency. This report covers only range. For example, in England, existing the work of the Boundary Commission for constituencies (drawn under the previous England (there are separate Commissions rules) currently range from 54,232 to for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) 105,448 electors. Furthermore, the current and, in particular, introduces our initial constituencies were constructed under the proposals for the South East region. last completed review, which relied on the data contained in the electoral registers for 4 The rules set out in the legislation 2000 and applied the earlier version of the state that there will be 600 Parliamentary rules. Achieving a more even distribution constituencies covering the UK – of electors in every constituency across a reduction of 50 from the current England, together with the reduction in number. This means that the number of the total number of constituencies, means constituencies in England must be reduced that a significant amount of change to the from 533 to 501. There are also other existing map of constituencies is inevitable. rules that the Commission has regard to when conducting the review – a full set 6 Our Guide to the 2018 Review of the rules can be found in our Guide to contains further detailed background the 2018 Review3 published in summer information, and explains all the policies 2016, but they are also summarised later and procedures that we are following in in this chapter. Most significantly, the rules conducting the review. We encourage require every constituency we recommend anyone wishing to be involved in the review (with the exception of two covering the Isle to read this document, which will give them of Wight) to contain no fewer than 71,031 a greater understanding of the rules and electors and no more than 78,507. constraints placed on the Commission, especially if they are intending to comment on our initial proposals. 2 The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, available at www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/1/contents 3 Available at www.bce2018.org.uk and at all places of deposit Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the South East region 7 The rules in the legislation 9 Although the first review under the new rules will unavoidably result in 7 As well as the primary rule that significant change, we have also taken constituencies must have no fewer than into account the boundaries of existing 71,031 electors and no more than 78,507, constituencies so far as we can. We have the legislation also states that, when tried to retain existing constituencies deciding on boundaries, the Commission as part of our initial proposals wherever may also take into account: possible, as long as the other factors can also be satisfied.