Farcical’ plans for more Gloucester residents to have a Tewkesbury MP

“Utterly daft” plans for thousands of Gloucester residents to be represented by the MP for Tewkesbury have been severely criticised.

The Boundary Commission for England has published its revised proposals for the review of parliamentary boundaries.

And under the current plans the Elmbridge area of Gloucester will be represented by an MP from a town 12 miles away.

If they go ahead, Elmbridge will join neighbouring Longlevens in the Tewkesbury constituency.

However, Gloucester Liberal Democrats say they are bitterly disappointed that residents’ concerns over the proposals have been ignored.

They say they have long argued for Longlevens to return to Gloucester and have criticised the Boundary Commission for England for ignoring community and identity and concentrating on the numbers.

Gloucester Liberal Democrats leader Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingshom and Wotton) said: “It is bitterly disappointing the concerns of residents have been ignored by the Boundary Commission. It is completely farcical to take another chunk out of Gloucester just to fit an arbitrary size of a constituency.

“The key to this review is identity and community and identity and community have been ignored. We’re pleased Barnwood is being retained within the boundaries of Gloucester but by taking out Elmbridge the heart is being ripped out of the city. I know residents will be really angry about this.

“If you travel from Tesco in Brockworth in a straight line along the Hucclecote Road into the city centre you pass through the North Cotswolds, Gloucester, Tewkesbury and then back into the Gloucester constituency. It’s utterly daft.

“The furthermost boundary of Elmbridge is less than a mile from the city centre. You can hear the roar from Kingsholm on match days – yet Longlevens and Elmbridge will be represented by an MP from a town 12 miles away.

“The Boundary Commission says the City of Gloucester is too large to be a single constituency. The limit of a five per cent variation in constituency sizes is hurting Gloucester.”

Gloucester MP Richard Graham said he was sorry to see that it looks as if residents of Elmbridge will in the future vote for an MP for Tewkesbury but he accepts the Commission’s logic.

He said he was pleased that he and the Conservative Party managed to persuade them to keep Barnwood in the constituency.

“Because everything derives from mathematics, and has cross border knock on implications, the key to Boundary Commission proposals is to find the least worst solution that affects as few residents as possible.

“I believe we have achieved this with changes that affect 4,814 not 9,794 (including Barnwood) or circa 15,000 in the south of Gloucester. I will continue to work closely with Elmbridge residents for as long as I represent them and indeed was at Elmbridge Primary last week.

“Lastly, you never know if any Commission changes will happen until they happen, and the process still has quite a way to go before it’s completed. So it’s business as usual for now and at least until the General Election in 2024.”

A final consultation has now been launched and residents have until December 5 to have their say on the proposals. Comments can be submitted at https://www.bcereviews.org.uk/.

By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk