Summary
Who we are and what we do – ‘The 2023 Review’1
1 Further details about the BCE and 2023 Review are published on our website: https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/
The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) is an independent and impartial non‑departmental public body, which is responsible for periodically reviewing Parliamentary constituency boundaries in England.
We are currently conducting a review on the basis of legal rules most recently updated by Parliament in 2020, which will conclude with a final report and recommendations from us by 1 July 2023. The rules require there to still be 650 constituencies across the UK, but more equally distributed across the four parts of the UK, which will see the number of constituencies in England increase to 543. Each (apart from five ‘protected’ constituencies) must also contain a number of electors that is no smaller than 69,724 and no larger than 77,062 (as at the fixed date of 2 March 2020).
We published our initial proposals for the new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in England on 8 June 2021 and there have been two rounds of statutory consultation relating to those to which we received over 45,000 responses. We have considered all of the comments received and taken them into account in developing our revised proposals, which we are now publishing for final consultation. For each region, a full report sets out a summary of the responses received to previous consultation on our initial proposals, our analysis of those, and the conclusions we have reached as to how the proposals should be revised as a result. The Appendix to each report contains details of the composition of each constituency we are now proposing, and maps to illustrate these can be viewed on our website or in hard copy at a local place of deposit.2
Back to topWhat are the revised proposals for the East Midlands region?
We have revised the composition of 19 of the 47 constituencies we proposed in June 2021, and maintained our initial proposals for the remainder. We have revised the name of seven of our initially proposed constituencies. Our revised proposals would leave six existing constituencies in the East Midlands region wholly unchanged, and seven unchanged except to realign constituency boundaries with local government ward boundaries.3
As it is not always possible to allocate whole numbers of constituencies to individual counties or unitary authorities, we sometimes group these into sub-regions, meaning some constituencies cross county or unitary authority boundaries. After consideration of the responses to the sub-regions in our initial proposals, our revised proposals are based on amended sub-regions, as follows: Derbyshire4 (allocated 11 constituencies); Leicestershire5, Lincolnshire and Rutland (allocated 18 constituencies); Northamptonshire6 (allocated seven constituencies); and Nottinghamshire7 (allocated 11 constituencies). One constituency would cross county boundaries (the same number as our initial proposals): it would contain parts of more than two counties.
We have decided to propose one constituency that would contain electors from Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Rutland, combining the entirety of the Rutland unitary authority with three wards from Harborough District and nine wards from South Kesteven District (including the town of Stamford).
We have made no revisions to the composition of any of the 11 constituencies in Derbyshire; however, we have revised the name of one constituency. In Northamptonshire, we have revised the composition of five of the seven constituencies in this sub-region, we have also revised the name of one of these constituencies. We have decided to split four wards in Northamptonshire with two being the same as proposed in the initial proposals. In Nottinghamshire we have revised the composition of two of the 11 constituencies, with one ward split between these revised constituencies. We have also revised the name of an additional two constituencies in Nottinghamshire.
We have combined our initially proposed Leicestershire and Lincolnshire and Rutland sub-regions. There are relatively minor changes to the composition of the initial proposals in Lincolnshire with revisions to four constituencies, and revision to the name of one of these constituencies. There are larger changes to the initial proposals in Leicestershire, especially in the Blaby District and Harborough District. We have revised the composition of eight constituencies. We have revised the name of two of these constituencies. We have decided to split one ward in Leicester.
Back to topHow to have your say
We are consulting on our revised proposals for a four-week period, from 8 November 2022 to 5 December 2022. We encourage everyone to use this final opportunity to contribute to the design of the new constituencies – the more views we hear, the more informed our decisions will be when we make our final recommendations and report to Parliament. Our consultation portal at www.bcereviews.org.uk has more information about our revised proposals and how to give us your views. You can also follow us on Twitter @BCEReviews or at facebook.com/BCEReviews.
Back to top2 A list of places of deposit is published on our website (as above).
3 Where the Order to make such wards was made by 1 December 2020.
4 Including the City of Derby.
5 Including the City of Leicester.
6 Incorporating the new unitary authorities of North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire.
7 Including the City of Nottingham.