The new constuencies have been announced following the boundary review. These have produced a very different political map. We will do some number crunching later, to work out how this will affect the likely political affiliation of each of them and give a bit of commentary, but as I'm sure you are interested here are the constituency by ward.
One small example is rail services. Many Mill Hill residents are users of Thameslink. At present as part of Hendon our MP has three stations in his catchment area on the same rail line. He therefore has a strong incentive to lobby for good services on this line. Under the new arrangement, Mill Hill will be represented by an MP with far more interest in the Barnet Branch of the Northern line. The Mill Hill Thameslink service will be a small sideshow. It seems to me that new boundaries have simply been drawn as post colonial borders in Asia and Africa were, with no regards for the local demographics or interests. Splitting Mill Hill from the Hale will massively disenfranchise voters in both parts of NW7, as their interests will become very low down the list of MP priorities in the new world.
This is being repeated all over London and I suspect I'm not the only one to see problems arising.
It is a very odd carve up that arbitrarily clumps together areas that have never been associated. Very disappointed that Mill Hill with be moved in with Chipping Barnet. The Totteridge Valley is a natural boundary between the two areas which does make transport between the two somewhat restricted. It also splits what is essentially a metropolitan Mill Hill from a suburban 'Home County' High Barnet; different concerns and needs.
ReplyDeleteOf course this leaves no wards in the new Hendon where LDs have ever had much traction (boo)... so screws me up too :(
Oh, and where is Childs Hill? Have they moved that in with Brent?
Childs Hill and Garden Suburb have both been moved to a new Hampstead and Golders Green constituency which consists of the above mentioned wards along with Highgate Ward, Hampstead Town Ward, Fortune Green Ward, Frognal and Fitzjohns Ward, West Hampstead Ward, Kilburn Ward, Swiss Cottage Ward and Belsize Ward. So the new constituency is the majority of what used to be the Hampstead and Kilburn seat along with two wards (Childs Hill and Garden Suburb) that used to be in Finchley and Golders Green and one ward (Highgate) that used to be in the Holborn and St. Pancras seat.
ReplyDeleteYou can see all the proposed changes at https://www.bce2018.org.uk/