DERBYSHIRE BOUNDARY CHANGES: How will the constituency shake-up affect you?

Parliamentary boundaries could be vastly different next time people go to the polls at a general election.Parliamentary boundaries could be vastly different next time people go to the polls at a general election.
Parliamentary boundaries could be vastly different next time people go to the polls at a general election.
Plans to shake-up parliamentary constituencies across Derbyshire have today been unveiled by the Boundary Commission.

The organisation is looking to cut the number of MPs from 533 to 501 in England, from 40 to 29 in Wales, from 59 to 53 in Scotland and from 18 to 17 in Northern Ireland, taking the total number from 650 down to 600.

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In its draft proposals, the commission says: “The East Midlands currently has 46 constituencies. Of these constituencies, 24 have electorates within 5 per cent of the electoral quota.

“The electorates of 19 constituencies currently fall below the 5 per cent limit, while the electorates of three constituencies are above.

“Our initial proposals for the East Midlands are for 44 constituencies, a reduction of two.”

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The commission says constituencies must have no fewer than 71,031 electors and no more than 78,507.

But how will the changes affect Derbyshire residents?

• The Boundary Commission is proposing extending the Bolsover constituency across the county to the north of the borough of Chesterfield with the inclusion of 12 wards from the North East Derbyshire constituency, including Dronfield. This constituency would then become Bolsover and Dronfield.

• It is also proposed that eight wards in the west and south of the existing Bolsover constituency should be included in a newly created Alfreton and Clay Cross constituency.

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• In addition, the Alfreton and Clay Cross constituency would contain part of the existing North East Derbyshire constituency and seven wards from the existing Amber Valley constituency, containing the towns of Alfreton and Ripley.

•The High Peak would remain unchanged.

• The Derbyshire Dales electorate is very low so the inclusion of five wards in the east from the existing North East Derbyshire constituency is being proposed in order to meet the electorate number requirements.

• It is proposed to add the ward of Barrow Hill and New Whittington from the existing North East Derbyshire constituency into the Chesterfield constituency.

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• Amber Valley and Erewash - the Boundary Commission has proposed that the constituency containing the remaining wards of the existing Amber Valley constituency be extended southwards to incorporate most of the existing Mid Derbyshire constituency, including the towns of Belper and Duffield.

A public consultation is under way into the reforms, with final proposals due in October 2018. If agreed by Parliament the new boundaries would be in place by the 2020 general election.

For more information, see the Boundary Commission website.