The Humble Petition of residents of Finedon, Northamptonshire and the surrounding areas,
Sheweth,
That the Petitioners believe that the boundaries of the Wellingborough Parliamentary Constituency should continue to include the village of Finedon due to the geographical, local government and historical ties that exist in the area.
Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your Honourable House urges the Cabinet Office to encourage the Boundary Commission for England to retain Finedon as part of the Wellingborough Constituency in its upcoming review.
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, &c.—[Presented by Mr Peter Bone , Official Report, 28 November 2016; Vol. 617, c. 1371.]
[P001983]
Observations from The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office:
The four Boundary Commissions are conducting the current Boundary Review in accordance with the legislation agreed in the last Parliament. It is for the independent Boundary Commissions to make proposals for new constituencies. The Government are not able to intervene in the review process and representations on proposed constituencies should be made direct to the relevant Boundary Commission.
Each Boundary Commission will undertake a consultation of 12 weeks on its initial proposals and there will be further opportunity for members of the public to submit representations as the Boundary Review progresses. The Boundary Commissions are required to submit their final proposals to Ministers by 1 October 2018.
The Government are committed to addressing the unfairness of the current Parliamentary boundaries, reducing the number of MPs to 600 to cut the cost of politics and making votes of more equal value. The Government believe it is essential that the Boundary Review is allowed to take its course, otherwise the next general election would be fought on the basis of electoral registers that are up to 20 years old.