Last week the Boundary Commission published their initial proposals for new parliamentary constituency boundaries.
You can explore the proposals and respond directly to the Commission via their website.
Overall, the proposal is for the number of constituencies in London to be reduced from 73 to 68. Regarding our constituency, the proposals would see Bethnal Green and Bow effectively split in three and for these ‘parts’ to join with wards from our neighbouring constituencies.
It is proposed that the Bethnal Green part of the constituency as far east as Stepney will join with Shoreditch as far west as Old Street and run north up to Dalston. It is a merging of the southern parts of what is now Hackney South and Shoreditch with the western part of our constituency. The Boundary Commission says:
“We … propose a Hackney West and Bethnal Green constituency, which includes five wards from the existing Hackney South and Shoreditch constituency, including the divided Dalston and London Fields wards, and four Tower Hamlets borough wards from the existing Bethnal Green and Bow constituency.”
As for Bow, the Commission proposes that it joins with Canning Town and also the western part of Stratford.
“We … propose a Bow and Canning Town constituency, which includes four wards from the existing West Ham constituency, two Tower Hamlets borough wards from the existing Poplar and Limehouse constituency, and two wards from the existing Bethnal Green and Bow constituency.”
This leaves Whitechapel to join with a new Poplar and Limehouse constituency.
“…we propose a Poplar and Limehouse constituency, which retains eight wards from the existing constituency, and includes three wards from the existing Bethnal Green and Bow constituency.”
The most notable change being proposed is that wards in Bethnal Green and Bow will join with wards from our neighbouring boroughs of Hackney and Newham, meaning that the new constituencies would cross borough boundaries.
You can find the full initial proposals for London here.
An interactive map is also available here.
This is just the first round of proposals from the Boundary Commission, and they are now in a consultation period which lasts for 12 weeks after their publication on the 13 September.
The consultation website can be found here. If you're a local BG&B member, then I would encourage you to review the proposals and consider how they might affect your area. I know that the Commission is very interested to hear from local residents and the final new boundaries may still look very different to these proposed.
Your contribution does, I believe, really count.
