Fourth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies
October 28, 2023
The Fourth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies was undertaken in the United Kingdom between 1991 and 1995 by the four Boundary Commissions.[1] As well as changes to constituency boundaries, the Reviews recommended an increase of five seats in England (524 to 529), two in Wales (38 to 40) and one in Northern Ireland (17 to 18), with Scotland continuing to have 72 seats. The number of MPs in the House of Commons therefore increased from 651 to 659.[2] 144 new constituencies were created, offset by 136 which were abolished. The new boundaries were first used for the 1997 general election.
Under the terms of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, as enacted, the Boundary Commissions were required to present their final recommendations between 10 and 15 years after the submission of their previous reports.[3] As the final reports for the Third Periodic Review had been submitted between October 1982 and February 1983, the final reports for the Fourth Review were due to be submitted no later than February 1998. Accordingly, the English Commission had commenced their review in February 1991 and the Scottish Commission had commenced theirs in February 1992. In the meantime, reflecting concerns that the period between reviews was too long, the Government proposed that the gap between reviews should be reduced to between 8 and 12 years and that the deadline for the Fourth Review should be brought forward to 31 December 1994.[2] This was legislated through the Boundary Commissions Act 1992.[4]
As a result of changes to the names of seats, it is not always easy to clearly identify newly created constituencies or those abolished during the review process. One way of considering this is to link each proposed seat with an existing seat which contributes the most voters to that new seat. Any proposed seat which cannot be linked to an existing seat is then considered to be a "new" constituency. Conversely, any existing seat which is not linked to a proposed seat is considered to have been abolished.
The tables below list the names of existing seats which were not replicated in the final proposals for the fourth review ("old seats"), and links them with proposed seats which did not exist prior to the review ("new seats"). Those seats which are not linked can be regarded as being genuinely abolished or newly created. There are a number of instances where existing seats are effectively abolished and re-created under the same name, as set out in the notes.
Englandedit
The number of seats in England increased by five. 19 non-metropolitan counties gained one seat each, with Hampshire gaining two. This was offset by a reduction of ten seats in Greater London, two each in Greater Manchester and West Midlands, and one each in Lancashire and Merseyside.
In Greater London, the Commission, for the first time, decided to pair some London Boroughs together to reduce the variation in the size of electorates. These are detailed in the table below.
The number of seats in Scotland remained at 72, with an additional seat in Grampian region being offset by the loss of a seat in the City of Glasgow in Strathclyde region.
The number of seats in Northern Ireland was increased from 17 to 18 through the creation of West Tyrone. This comprised the majority of the existing Mid Ulster seat, which was reconfigured and effectively formed a new constituency.
Referencesedit
^Rossiter 1999, The Boundary Commissions: Redrawing the UK's Map of Parliamentary Constituencies
^ abJohnston, Neil (17 November 2022). "Constituency boundary reviews and the number of MPs" (PDF). House of Commons library. p. 76. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1995". legislation.gov.uk. 11 April 1995. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (Wales) Order 1995". legislation.gov.uk. 11 April 1995. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". legislation.gov.uk. 28 June 1995. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
^"The Parliamentary Constituencies (Northern Ireland) Order 1995". legislation.gov.uk. 23 November 1995. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
October 28, 2023
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The Fourth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies was undertaken in the United Kingdom between 1991 and 1995 by the four Boundary Commissions 1 As well as changes to constituency boundaries the Reviews recommended an increase of five seats in England 524 to 529 two in Wales 38 to 40 and one in Northern Ireland 17 to 18 with Scotland continuing to have 72 seats The number of MPs in the House of Commons therefore increased from 651 to 659 2 144 new constituencies were created offset by 136 which were abolished The new boundaries were first used for the 1997 general election Contents 1 Review process 2 Changes 2 1 England 2 2 Wales 2 3 Scotland 2 4 Northern Ireland 3 ReferencesReview process editUnder the terms of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 as enacted the Boundary Commissions were required to present their final recommendations between 10 and 15 years after the submission of their previous reports 3 As the final reports for the Third Periodic Review had been submitted between October 1982 and February 1983 the final reports for the Fourth Review were due to be submitted no later than February 1998 Accordingly the English Commission had commenced their review in February 1991 and the Scottish Commission had commenced theirs in February 1992 In the meantime reflecting concerns that the period between reviews was too long the Government proposed that the gap between reviews should be reduced to between 8 and 12 years and that the deadline for the Fourth Review should be brought forward to 31 December 1994 2 This was legislated through the Boundary Commissions Act 1992 4 The final reports were submitted as follows Scotland 15 December 1994 5 Wales 16 December 1994 6 England 12 April 1995 7 Northern Ireland 20 June 1995 8 Changes editAs a result of changes to the names of seats it is not always easy to clearly identify newly created constituencies or those abolished during the review process One way of considering this is to link each proposed seat with an existing seat which contributes the most voters to that new seat Any proposed seat which cannot be linked to an existing seat is then considered to be a new constituency Conversely any existing seat which is not linked to a proposed seat is considered to have been abolished The tables below list the names of existing seats which were not replicated in the final proposals for the fourth review old seats and links them with proposed seats which did not exist prior to the review new seats Those seats which are not linked can be regarded as being genuinely abolished or newly created There are a number of instances where existing seats are effectively abolished and re created under the same name as set out in the notes England edit The number of seats in England increased by five 19 non metropolitan counties gained one seat each with Hampshire gaining two This was offset by a reduction of ten seats in Greater London two each in Greater Manchester and West Midlands and one each in Lancashire and Merseyside In Greater London the Commission for the first time decided to pair some London Boroughs together to reduce the variation in the size of electorates These are detailed in the table below County No of seats Old seat New seat NotesBefore AfterAvon 10 10Bedfordshire 5 6 North Bedfordshire BedfordNorth East Bedfordshire Comprised the largest part of the existing Mid Bedfordshire seat which was reconfigured and effectively formed a new constituency Berkshire 7 8 East Berkshire BracknellWindsor and Maidenhead MaidenheadWindsorBuckinghamshire 7 7Cambridgeshire 6 7 North West CambridgeshireSouth West Cambridgeshire South CambridgeshireCheshire 10 11 Weaver ValeCleveland 6 6 Langbaurgh Middlesbrough South and East ClevelandCornwall 5 5 Truro Truro and St Austell Name change only Cumbria 6 6Derbyshire 10 10Devon 11 11 Honiton East DevonPlymouth Drake Plymouth Drake was absorbed into Plymouth Sutton with the bulk of that seat now forming the majority of the new seat of South West Devon South West DevonSouth Hams TotnesTiverton Tiverton and HonitonDorset 7 8 Mid Dorset and North PooleDurham 7 7East Sussex 8 8Essex 16 17 North Essex Major reconfiguration North Colchester ColchesterSouth Colchester and Maldon Maldon and East ChelmsfordChelmsford West ChelmsfordRochford RayleighSouthend East Rochford and Southend EastGloucestershire 5 6 Cirencester and Tewksbury The CotswoldsTewkesburyWest Gloucestershire Forest of DeanGreater London 84 74 Hendon North Hendon London borough of BarnetHendon SouthFinchley Finchley and Golders GreenGreenwich Greenwich and Woolwich London boroughs of Bexley and GreenwichWoolwichErith and Crayford Erith and ThamesmeadBexleyheath Bexleyheath and CrayfordChislehurst Bromley and Chislehurst London borough of BromleyRavensbourneCroydon North East London borough of CroydonCroydon North West Croydon NorthEaling Acton Ealing Acton and Shepherd s Bush London boroughs of Ealing and Hammersmith and FulhamHammersmithFulham Hammersmith and FulhamThe City of London and Westminster South Cities of London and Westminster Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Cities of London and WestminsterWestminster North Regent s Park and Kensington NorthKensingtonChelsea Kensington and ChelseaRichmond and Barnes Richmond Park Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and borough of Richmond upon ThamesKingston upon ThamesSurbiton Kingston and SurbitonSouthwark and Bermondsey North Southwark and Bermondsey London boroughs of Lambeth and SouthwarkPeckham Camberwell and PeckhamDulwich Dulwich and West NorwoodNorwoodBethnal Green and Stepney Bethnal Green and Bow London boroughs of Newham and Tower HamletsBow and Poplar Poplar and Canning TownNewham SouthNewham North East East HamNewham North West West HamChingford Chingford and Woodford Green London boroughs of Redbridge and Waltham ForestWanstead and WoodfordLeyton Leyton and WansteadGreater Manchester 30 28 StretfordDavyhulme Stretford and UrmstonAltrincham and Sale Altrincham and Sale WestManchester Wythenshawe Wythenshawe and Sale EastLittleborough and Saddleworth Oldham East and SaddleworthOldham Central and Royton Oldham West and RoytonOldham WestSalford East SalfordHampshire 15 17 North East Hampshire Comprised the majority of the existing East Hampshire seat which was reconfigured and effectively formed a new constituency New Forest New Forest WestRomsey and Waterside New Forest EastRomseyHereford and Worcester 7 8 Redditch Comprised the majority of the existing Mid Worcestershire seat which was reconfigured and effectively formed a new constituency South Worcestershire West WorcestershireHertfordshire 10 11 North Hertfordshire North East HertfordshireHitchin and HarpendenWest Hertfordshire Hemel HempsteadHumberside 9 10 Kingston upon Hull West Kingston upon Hull West and HessleBridlington East Yorkshire Major reconfigurationBeverley and HoldernessBeverley Haltemprice and HowdonBoothferry Brigg and GooleGlanford and Scunthorpe ScunthorpeBrigg and Cleethorpes CleethorpesIsle of Wight 1 1Kent 16 17 Faversham Sittingbourne and SheppeyFaversham and Mid KentMid Kent Chatham and AylesfordMaidstone Maidstone and The WealdLancashire 16 15 Lancaster Lancaster and WyreWyreBlackpool North Blackpool North and FleetwoodLeicestershire 9 10 CharnwoodLincolnshire 6 7 Gainsborough and Horncastle GainsboroughEast Lyndsey Louth and HorncastleHolland with Boston Boston and SkegnessStamford and Spalding South Holland and The DeepingsGrantham and StamfordGrantham Sleaford and North HykehamMerseyside 17 16 Knowsley North Knowsley North and Sefton EastLiverpool Broadgreen Liverpool WavertreeLiverpool Mossley HillNorfolk 8 8North Yorkshire 6 7 Harrogate Harrogate and KnaresboroughVale of YorkYork City of York Name change onlyScarborough Scarborough and Whitby Name change onlyNorthamptonshire 6 6Northumberland 4 4Nottinghamshire 11 11Oxfordshire 6 6Shropshire 4 5 Telford Comprised the majority of the existing The Wrekin seat which was reconfigured and effectively formed a new constituency Somerset 5 5South Yorkshire 15 15 Barnsley East Barnsley East and MexboroughStaffordshire 11 12 Stone Major reconfigurationMid Staffordshire LichfieldCannock and Burntwood Cannock ChaseSouth East Staffordshire TamworthSuffolk 6 7 Central Suffolk Central Suffolk and North IpswichWest Suffolk Comprised the majority of the existing Bury St Edmunds seat which was reconfigured and effectively formed a new constituency Surrey 11 11 North West Surrey Surrey HeathChertsey and Walton Runnymede and WeybridgeEsher Esher and WaltonTyne and Wear 13 13 Wallsend North TynesideNewcastle upon Tyne East Newcastle upon Tyne East and WallsendGateshead East Gateshead East and Washington WestHoughton and Washington Houghton and Washington EastWarwickshire 5 5West Midlands 31 29 Dudley East Dudley NorthDudley West Dudley SouthHalesowen and Stourbridge Stourbridge Electorate of Halesowen and Stourbridge distributed more or less equally between two new constituencies Halesowen and Rowley RegisWarley WestWarley East WarleyBirmingham Small HeathBirmingham Sparkbrook Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small HeathCoventry South East Coventry SouthCoventry South WestWest Sussex 7 8 Arundel Bognor Regis and LittlehamptonArundel and South DownsShoreham East Worthing and ShorehamWorthing Worthing WestWest Yorkshire 23 23 Morley and Leeds South Morley and RothwellWiltshire 5 6 North SwindonSwindon South SwindonWales edit The number of seats in Wales was increased from 38 to 40 through the creation of an additional seat in the counties of Clwyd and Dyfed County No of seats Old seat New seatBefore AfterClwyd 5 6 Clwyd North West Clwyd WestVale of ClwydClwyd South West Clwyd SouthDyfed 4 5 Ceredigion and Pembroke North CeredigionPembroke Preseli PembrokeshireCarmarthen West and South PembrokeshireCarmarthen Carmarthen East and DinefwrGwent 6 6Gwynedd 4 4Mid Glamorgan 7 7Powys 2 2South Glamorgan 5 5West Glamorgan 5 5Scotland edit The number of seats in Scotland remained at 72 with an additional seat in Grampian region being offset by the loss of a seat in the City of Glasgow in Strathclyde region Region No of seats Old seat New seatBefore AfterBorders 2 2Central 4 4 Clackmannan OchilDumfries and Galloway 2 2Fife 5 5Grampian 6 7 Aberdeen CentralKincardine and Deeside West Aberdeenshire and KincardineHighland 3 3 Caithness and Sutherland Caithness Sutherland and Easter RossRoss Cromarty and Skye Ross Skye and Inverness WestInverness Nairn and Lochaber Inverness East Nairn and LochaberLothian 10 10 Edinburgh East Edinburgh East and MusselburghEdinburgh Leith Edinburgh North and LeithStrathclyde 33 32 Monklands East Airdrie and ShottsMonklands West Coatbridge and ChrystonMotherwell North Hamilton North and BellshillMotherwell South Motherwell and WishawHamilton Hamilton SouthGreenock and Port Glasgow Greenock and InverclydeRenfrew West and Inverclyde West RenfrewshireGlasgow Garscadden Glasgow AnnieslandGlasgow Hillhead Glasgow KelvinGlasgow CentralGlasgow Provan Glasgow BailliestonTayside 5 5 East Angus AngusPerth and Kinross PerthIslands Areas 2 2Northern Ireland edit The number of seats in Northern Ireland was increased from 17 to 18 through the creation of West Tyrone This comprised the majority of the existing Mid Ulster seat which was reconfigured and effectively formed a new constituency References edit Rossiter 1999 The Boundary Commissions Redrawing the UK s Map of Parliamentary Constituencies a b Johnston Neil 17 November 2022 Constituency boundary reviews and the number of MPs PDF House of Commons library p 76 Retrieved 15 December 2022 Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 as enacted Legislation gov uk Retrieved 15 December 2022 Boundary Commissions Act 1992 as enacted Legislation gov uk Retrieved 15 December 2022 The Parliamentary Constituencies Scotland Order 1995 legislation gov uk 11 April 1995 Retrieved 15 December 2022 The Parliamentary Constituencies Wales Order 1995 legislation gov uk 11 April 1995 Retrieved 15 December 2022 The Parliamentary Constituencies England Order 1995 legislation gov uk 28 June 1995 Retrieved 15 December 2022 The Parliamentary Constituencies Northern Ireland Order 1995 legislation gov uk 23 November 1995 Retrieved 15 December 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fourth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies amp oldid 1169141013, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,