Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the London region

Summary

Who we are and what we do

The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) is an independent and impartial non‑departmental public body, which is responsible for reviewing Parliamentary constituency boundaries in England.

The 2023 Review

We have the task of periodically reviewing the boundaries of all the Parliamentary constituencies in England. We are currently conducting a review on the basis of legislative rules most recently updated by Parliament in 2020. Those rules tell us that we must make recommendations for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries by 1 July 2023. While retaining the overall number of constituencies across the UK at 650, the rules apply a distribution formula that results in an increase in the number of constituencies in England (from 533 to 543). The rules also require that every recommended constituency across the UK – apart from five specified exceptions (two of them in England) – must have an electorate that is no smaller than 69,724 and no larger than 77,062.

Initial proposals

We published our initial proposals for the new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in England on 8 June 2021. Information about the proposed constituencies is now available on our website at www.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk

What is changing in the London region?

The London region (hereafter referred to as London) has been allocated 75 constituencies – an increase of two from the current number.

Our proposals leave two of the 73 existing constituencies wholly unchanged, and ten unchanged except to realign constituency boundaries with new or prospective local government ward boundaries.

As it has not always been possible to allocate whole numbers of constituencies to individual London boroughs, we have grouped them into sub-regions. The number of constituencies allocated to each sub-region is determined by the combined electorate of the component boroughs.

Of the existing constituencies, we propose retaining Walthamstow (in the borough of Waltham Forest) and Tooting (in the borough of Wandsworth) wholly unchanged.

Significant change is required, however, throughout most of London in order to comply with the permitted electorate range. Consequently, it has been necessary to propose 31 constituencies that cross London borough boundaries. However, none of these contain parts of more than two London boroughs.

We propose dividing three wards across London in order to produce a practicable arrangement of constituencies: one in the borough of Croydon, one in the borough of Havering, and one in the borough of Wandsworth.

In order to create 75 constituencies wholly within London, we have proposed one constituency (Stratford and Bow) that crosses the River Lee. We have not proposed any constituencies that cross the River Thames.

How to have your say

We are consulting on our initial proposals for an eight-week period, from 8 June 2021 to 2 August 2021. We encourage everyone to use this opportunity to help us shape the new constituencies – the more responses we receive, the more informed our decisions will be when considering whether to revise our proposals. Our consultation portal at www.bcereviews.org.uk has more information about our proposals and how to give us your views on them. You can also follow us on Twitter @BCEReviews or at facebook.com/BCEReviews.

1 Comprising the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest.
2 Comprising the boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Camden, the City of London, Ealing, Enfield, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Richmond upon Thames (that part which lies on the north side of the River Thames), and Westminster.
3 Comprising the boroughs of Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond upon Thames (that part which lies on the south side of the River Thames), Southwark, Sutton, and Wandsworth.
4 Comprising the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, and Greenwich.