The Government is conducting a review of parliamentary constituency boundaries, to cut down the number of MPs and even up the number of people in each parliamentary constituency, ie the number who elect each MP. The Boundary Commission is responsible for carrying out the review and they are holding a hearing at the Gonville Hotel in Cambridge now (10th-11th November)

As readers of the Queen Edith’s Focus and this website will know (Queen Edith’s is in Cambridge!), I am disappointed that they are not taking this opportunity to restore Queen Edith’s to its rightful place as part of the Cambridge City constituency, and I have made a submission to the Boundary Commission, which I reproduce at the end of this post.

You can comment in person at the Gonville Hotel Cambridge hearing today, or on line at the Boundary Commission’s website before 5th December.

SUBMISSION TO THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION ON ITS REVIEW OF PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES

 

BCE/IP/008117                                                          10/11/2011

 

I propose that the Queen Edith’s ward be included in the Cambridge parliamentary constituency, and that Cherry Hinton be moved into the South Cambridgeshire constituency, for the following reasons:

 

 

 

URBAN CHARACTER

 

Queen Edith’s has many key characteristics in common with other wards in the Cambridge City constituency:

 

 

 

* represented by Cambridge City councillors, not district councillors;

 

* all its residents and businesses pay council tax and business rates to, and receive services from Cambridge City Council;

 

* Queen Edith’s is a suburb of the city of Cambridge, not a village.

 

 

 

GEOGRAPHY

 

 

 

* Queen Edith’s is flanked by two city wards, Trumpington and Cherry Hinton. Excluding QE from the city constituency leaves an odd gap.

 

 

 

* The South Cambs constituency is shifting eastwards, Cherry Hinton is closer to other wards moving into the new constituency, such as Teversham and Fulbourn.

 

 

 

* Unlike Queen Edith’s, Cherry Hinton has some streets in the South Cambridgeshire District Council area.

 

 

 

* There are natural boundaries between parts of Cherry Hinton and Cambridge, e.g. quarries. In contrast, the main roads in Queen Edith’s (Hills Road, Cherry Hinton Road) run through other city wards.

 

 

 

ARITHMETIC

 

Putting Queen Edith’s in the Cambridge constituency and Cherry Hinton in South Cambridgeshire would still keep both constituencies within 72,810 – 80,473 electors. South Cambridgeshire is very close to the upper limit: losing Queen Edith’s and gaining Cherry Hinton would put it nearer the middle of the population range, as QE has more electors than Cherry Hinton.

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