Shropshire's constituency boundaries to change under new proposals

The Boundary Commission today published their proposals for new boundaries for constituencies in England.

The proposals are part of plans to reduce the size of the House of Commons by 50 seats from the current 650 to 600.

The initial draft plans would divide the current Ludlow Constituency into three: eleven wards in the west including Bishop's Castle, Church Stretton and Craven Arms, Cleobury Mortimer, Highley and Ludlow would combine with fifteen wards in North Herefordshire, to form a new constituency called Ludlow and Leominster.

Six wards in the east including Bridgnorth, Broseley and Much Wenlock would form part of a new Bridgnorth, Wellington and the Wrekin constituency.

The Telford constituency will be extended to include Leegomery, Donnington and Hadley, these area are currently in the Wrekin constituency.

Shrewsbury constituency will see the name Atcham being dropped and will also take in the Chirbury and Worthen ward.

The North Shropshire constituency will remain unchanged.

The Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council has welcomed recommendations to change the borough’s parliamentary constituencies.

Council Leader Shaun Davies said: “I am very pleased with these latest proposals from the Boundary Commission. They broadly fall in line with what the Council asked for back in 2011.

“At the time, the Commission’s plan was to split Telford into north and south; something we felt would create an unnatural divide. As part of the Commission’s consultation, we submitted a counter-proposal, calling for Telford to be respected as a town and keeping it as an urban constituency in its own right.

“We also felt it right for a constituency that provided for the borough’s market towns and rural areas. This would be the new ‘Bridgnorth, Wellington and The Wrekin constituency’.

“The Boundary Commission has listened to us and we are very happy with their latest proposals. They not only satisfy the Commission’s population and geographical criteria, they also respect and maintain the identities of the communities in our borough.”

A public consultation will take place over coming months, including hearings in Shrewsbury on 7 November from 10am to 8pm, and 8 November 9am to 5pm, in the Darwin Suite of the Prince Rupert Hotel, when representations can be made.

The Boundary Commission are expected to make revisions during 2017 before finalising plans in Autumn 2018, for approval by Parliament. The new boundaries would then come into effect for the next General Election due in May 2020.

The latest draft proposals from the Boundary Commission can be found at http://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/2018-review/