The Boundary Commission has just published its latest proposals  for changing parliamentary constituency boundaries – but it is still ignoring local people’s requests to include Queen Edith’s in the City of Cambridge constituency. Although we’re represented by councillors on Cambridge City Council and pay our council tax to Cambridge, we are not like everyone else in Cambridge represented in Parliament by Julian Huppert , but by Andrew Lansley. Party politics and personal qualities aside, we have little in common with these villages.

The Boundary Review is charged with culling MPs from 533 to 502, and arranging the numbers of electors so that every MP represents a similar number – between 72,810 and 80,473 people. No constituency is allowed to be more than 5% above or below an electoral quota.

Like others in this area, I am dismayed that they are proposing to keep Queen Edith’s out of the city constituency – see previous post on this topic

They are proposing to move Queen Edith’s out of South Cambridgeshire – not into the city, but into another rural constituency, South East Cambridgeshire, where it will sit with places such as Soham and Bottisham. This is frustrating, especially as the Commission say they have ‘some sympathy’ with putting Queen Edith’s into the Cambridge constituency.

Their only justifications for not doing so are:

the main political parties agree with the initial proposals

Not entirely true, as the Liberal Democrats in this constituency at least wrote in asking for Queen Edith’s to go into the city) But why should the political parties’ views carry more weight than those of voters?

the counter-proposal was advanced by ‘a very small number of individuals’.

I do not know how many people have to advance a case for it to count, but I know of at least three Queen Edith’s people apart from myself who made representations – how many more there were I cannot tell as the representations section of the Commission’s website is labyrinthine!

You will have to excuse a certain scepticism about commenting on the revised proposals. If you still feel strongly that Queen Edith’s belongs in the city, then you have until 10th December to make a representation. If you want to help make the point, please do so – here is an online form: https://form.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/review-team/revised_proposals/consultation/intro/view

Here is my own: Boundary Commission representation_revised Mine is quite long, but you don’t have to write an essay: some of the comments on their site from the last round of consultation are just one or two sentences.

You can also email the Boundary Commission at: [email protected].

Please post a copy here, so we know the real number of people making representations.

Here are the lists for Cambridge and the two neighbouring constituencies, South West Cambridgeshire and South East Cambridgeshire:

Cambridge

Abbey 6,138

Arbury 6,047

Castle 5,900

Cherry Hinton 5,968

Coleridge 5,643

East Chesterton 6,048

King’s Hedges 5,579

Market 5,822

Newnham 5,715

Petersfield 5,504

Romsey 5,806

Trumpington 5,534

West Chesterton 5,555

Total: 75,259 electors

South East Cambridgeshire

Queen Edith’s 6,032

Bottisham 3,009

Burwell 4,766

Cheveley 3,191

Dullingham Villages 1,574

Fordham Villages 2,812

Isleham 1,771

Soham North 3,562

Soham 4,642

The Swaffhams 1,538

Balsham 3,664

Duxford 2,079

Fulbourn 3,389

Histon and Impington 7,019

Linton 3,612

Milton 2,984

Sawston 5,391

Teversham 1,783

The Abingtons 1,741

The Shelfords and Stapleford 5,524

The Wilbrahams 2,087

Waterbeach 3,961

Whittlesford 2,063

78,194 electors

South West Cambridgeshire

Earith 4,787

Fenstanton 2,380

Gransden and TheOffords 3,586

BarHill 3,821

Barton 1,887

Bassingbourn 3,512

Bourn 6,075

Caldecote 1,878

Comberton 1,746

Cottenham 5,980

Fowlmere and Foxton 1,894

Gamlingay 3,843

Girton 3,272

Hardwick 2,020

Harston and Hauxton 1,826

Haslingfield and The Eversdens 2,057

Longstanton 1,896

Melbourn 4,333

Meldreth 1,906

Orwell and Barrington 1,836

Papworth and Elsworth 3,576

Swavesey 1,905

The Mordens 1,908

Willingham and Over 5,237

Total: 73,161 electors

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