The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South East
Isle of Wight
Initial proposals
As set out in the legislation, the Isle of Wight is specifically allocated two whole constituencies, which do not have to be within the permitted electorate range. While it is not stipulated that the two constituencies must have similar sized electorates, we considered that it would be a sound principle to seek to divide the island’s electors broadly equally when formulating our initial proposals.
We considered various options for the Isle of Wight, and concluded that a division of the island into East and West would be most likely to command local support. We therefore proposed East Isle of Wight and West Isle of Wight constituencies, a key feature of which was the use of the River Medina as a natural boundary in the north of the island.
During consultation on the initial proposals, the principle of dividing the Isle of Wight on an east/west basis was broadly supported. We did receive a counter proposal which suggested a north/south division, broadly aligning with the former Medina and South Wight local authorities; however, we also received several responses opposing this approach.
Our proposed boundary between the two constituencies, however, was unpopular. Responses said there was a strong community of interest between Cowes and East Cowes, despite the boundary of the River Medina, and some also noted that including the Fairlee & Whippingham ward in the proposed East Isle of Wight constituency divided the town of Newport, the largest settlement in the West Isle of Wight constituency.
Several respondents submitted an identical counter proposal, which suggested including the East Cowes, Fairlee & Whippingham, and Osborne wards in the West Isle of Wight constituency, and the Newchurch, Havenstreet & Ashey, Ventnor & St Lawrence, and Wroxall, Lowtherville & Bonchurch wards in the East Isle of Wight constituency. We received many other responses endorsing this counter proposal.
As well as dissatisfaction with our proposed boundary on the Isle of Wight, we also received representations concerning the names of the two constituencies. We received a number of suggestions, though by far the most common was to use the compass point indicators as suffixes rather than prefixes, and thus call the constituencies Isle of Wight East and Isle of Wight West.
In light of the representations received, our Assistant Commissioners recommended that we modify our initial proposals for the Isle of Wight.
Noting that several respondents had independently arrived at the same counter proposal, and the widespread support it received in other representations, our Assistant Commissioners recommended including the East Cowes, Fairlee & Whippingham, and Osborne wards in the western constituency, and the Newchurch, Havenstreet & Ashey, Ventnor & St Lawrence, and Wroxall, Lowtherville & Bonchurch wards in the eastern constituency. They also felt that Isle of Wight West and Isle of Wight East would be more appropriate names for these two constituencies than those initially proposed.
We agreed with these recommendations from Assistant Commissioners, and therefore made revised proposals for Isle of Wight East and Isle of Wight West constituencies.
We note that by far the most frequently made point in the revised proposals consultation was opposition to the principle of dividing the island in two constituencies; however, as the legislation stipulates that two constituencies must be allocated to the Isle of Wight, we are unable to address this concern.
Those that commented specifically on our proposed constituencies were broadly supportive of our revised proposals. We received three counter proposals during this consultation phase, including one which suggested that we revert to the initial proposals, and another which proposed an alternative north/south division of the island.
In light of the broad support for our revised proposals, we are not recommending any changes to the boundaries of our revised proposals for the Isle of Wight. Our final recommendations are therefore for constituencies of Isle of Wight East and Isle of Wight West. These constituencies are composed of the areas listed in Volume two and shown on the maps in Volume three of this report.
