Proposals to Remove Northfield From Ealing Southall in Boundary Changes

The ward would be included in Isleworth, Brentford and Chiswick parliamentary seat

Boundary Commission's proposed Isleworth, Brentford and Chiswick seat

Changes announced by The Boundary Commission have confirmed that the Northfield ward will no longer be part of Ealing Southall but be included in the new parliamentary seat of Isleworth, Brentford and Chiswick constituency.

The new seat would have one MP but the constituency would be divided between Ealing and Hounslow.

The proposed constituency combines seven wards from the current Brentford and Isleworth constituency with the Northfield ward from the Ealing, Southall constituency, and the Southfield ward from the Ealing Central and Acton constituency. Three Hounslow wards (Heath, Central and South) will be moved to a new constituency.

There was substantial support among those who responded to the consultation for the idea of uniting the geographical area under one MP. However, the plans have met with some disapproval.

The current MPs Ealing Southall MP, Virendra Sharma who represents residents from Northfield ward said, “It has been an honour and a privilege to represent Northfields Ward since 2007 and I consider myself lucky to represent such a dynamic and diverse constituency.

"I don’t believe we should be reducing the number of MPs we have, and increasing the size of constituencies at this vital time when Parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit is key and will bring so much more business to Parliament. The government is proposing stripping Parliament of some of its power to hold the executive to account.”

The proposed Southall and Heston constituency

And the sitting MP for Brentford and Isleworth. Ruth Cadbury said, “These proposals are undemocratic boundary-fixing by a Tory government determined to secure a permanent majority in the House of Commons. They want to cut the number of MPs but are happy to stuff the House of Lords with yet more of their unelected friends. Now with the workload of MPs set to rise with Brexit it would be utterly ludicrous to go ahead with these boundary changes.

“Furthermore my constituency will be spread across two boroughs which will slow down the process of helping my constituents, with double the number of key Council departments and other organisations meaning more communication lines, referral systems and various new authorities to navigate.”

Ruth Cadbury MP

Secretary to the commission, Sam Hartley, said, "We're confident that the new map of constituencies best reflects the rules set for us by Parliament and we're especially pleased that our recommendations are based heavily on what members of the public have told us about their local areas.

"It is now up to the government to present our report to Parliament, and we look forward to being able to publish our recommendations once that has happened."

The rules set out in the legislation on boundary changes state that there will be 600 Parliamentary constituencies covering the UK – a reduction of 50 from the current number. This means that the number of constituencies in England must be reduced from 533 to 501. The reduction was the idea of David Cameron's government and a cost-cutting measure in response to the expenses scandal.

Each constituency has to have an electorate that is no smaller than 71,031 and no larger than 78,507. There will be 32 fewer seats in England, six fewer in Scotland and eleven fewer in Wales with Northern Ireland losing one.

The constituencies do not take effect until the next general election after the legislation has been voted on and comes into force currently due to be 5 May 2022. If an early election is called, the constituency boundaries to be used will depend on whether the Order in Council (legislation) has been made and come into force.

September 11 2018