Why 700 for Walthamstow

The Boundary Commission reviewed the boundaries of Westminster parliamentary constituencies, following legislation in 2011 to reduce their number, and make them more equal in size. It reported in 2018. Parliament has never debated this review, and is now very unlikely to.

In a similar review in 2011, the Commission initially included a Walthamstow constituency, but later eliminated it. '700 for Walthamstow' aimed to get local people, appalled by this, to send written responses to the Commission. In all around 1000 were sent (though the whole process was stopped in 2012 when parliament voted to stop it).

Tuesday 28 February 2017

2018 Boundary Review - submit comments on the public responses

Today the Boundary Commission for England (bce) published the responses it received during the consultation period last autumn on the proposals it put forward for boundary changes, in line with Parliamentary legislation. You can see details of these proposals as they affect Walthamstow here.


The map shows the locations of responses across Walthamstow. (Yellow blobs are responses that included counter proposals.) Click here or the picture to go to the page on the bce website (you then need to zoom in to where you want to see). Note that the boundary in red is the proposed new boundary, which is different from the existing constituency boundary for Walthamstow.

The autumn consultation took responses in person and by email. You can read transcripts of the responses in person here (then search for the area etc of your interest), or video recordings of the public sessions that took place in Romford here (list of the London response venues here). The recording of my own response is here. (Transcript here scroll to p 27. I was speaking in a personal capacity rather than as secretary of Walthamstow Labour Party.)

You can from now until 27th March submit comments on these responses from members of the public. Click here for the bce map; click on the 'move' hand to find the response you want to comment on; click on the balloon for that comment and follow the instructions.

Following this secondary consultation, the Commission will be considering all representations received from both consultations, and will consider whether any revisions are needed. If they decide to revise the proposals, they will consult on the revised boundaries. Any such consultation is expected to happen towards the end of 2017, or in early 2018.

Tuesday 21 February 2017

2018 Boundary Review - dates of second consultation announced

News from the Boundary Commission:

"15 February 2017 11:05 - Last year, the Boundary Commission for England published and consulted on our initial proposals for new constituency boundaries. We received nearly 20,000 responses to that consultation. The next stage of the 2018 Review is for us to publish all those representations so that others may comment on them. 

We intend to publish all the representations on Tuesday 28 February 2017, and invite comments on them for four weeks until Monday 27 March 2017. All representations will be published on our website at www.bce2018.org.uk

Following this secondary consultation, the Commission will be considering all representations received from both consultations, and will consider whether any revisions are needed. If we decide to revise the proposals, we will consult on the revised boundaries. We currently expect any such consultation to happen towards the end of 2017, or in early 2018."