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 Yorkshire and the Humber?
The Yorkshire and the Humber region has been allocated 54 constituencies – the same as the current number.
Our proposals leave two of the 54 existing constituencies wholly unchanged, and another 13 unchanged except to realign constituency boundaries with new local government ward boundaries.
As it has not always been possible to allocate whole numbers of constituencies to individual counties, we have grouped some county council and unitary authority areas into sub-regions. The number of constituencies allocated to each sub-region is determined by the combined electorate of the local authorities they contain.
Consequently, it has been necessary to propose some constituencies that cross county council or unitary authority boundaries, although we have sought to keep such crossings to a minimum.
| Sub-region | Existing allocation | Proposed allocation |
|---|---|---|
| Humberside1 and South Yorkshire | 24 | 23 |
| North Yorkshire2 and West Yorkshire | 30 | 31 |
In Humberside and South Yorkshire it has been necessary to propose one constituency that crosses the county boundary. It combines the Isle of Axholme area of North Lincolnshire unitary authority with wards from the east of the Borough of Doncaster. We have also divided one ward between constituencies in this sub-region, in the City of Sheffield. In South Yorkshire it has been possible to propose a pattern of constituencies that is very similar to the existing arrangement, with seven constituencies changed only to align with new local government ward boundaries.
In North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, we have proposed two constituencies that cross county boundaries. One combines a single ward from the City of Leeds with District of Selby wards, including the town of Selby. The second contains electors from the City of Leeds, Borough of Harrogate, and districts of Selby and Hambleton. We have also proposed the division of two wards between constituencies in this sub-region: one in the Borough of Kirklees, and another in the City of Leeds. In West Yorkshire, the arrangement in the City of Bradford is altered by the exchange of only two wards between constituencies and realignment to new local government ward boundaries. Similarly, the arrangement in the City of York is changed only to align with new ward boundaries.
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.
Back to top1 Humberside refers to the four unitary authorities created from the former county council area of Humberside (East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire, and North Lincolnshire).
2 North Yorkshire refers to the county council area of North Yorkshire plus the unitary authority area of the City of York.