BOUNDARY CHANGES FOR WESTMINSTER SEATS ANNOUNCED

• Commission Opts for Minor Changes in Hounslow - reducing the size of the Brentford and Isleworth constituency
• Calls for Brentford and Isleworth to have "Chiswick" added to the designation rejected - no residents requested the change
• Voters in Southfield Ward to now be part of a new Ealing - Acton constituency.

The Boundary Commission has released details of the changes it is proposing to make to parliamentary constituencies.

Chiswick residents in the Brentford and Isleworth constituency will see no change. A proposal by the Conservative party to have Chiswick added to the title was rejected by the Commission. They said that it would be confusing to Chiswick residents in Southfield ward and also they had received no representations from local people requesting the change.

For Hounslow, the Commission proposed to make only the minimum amount of change necessary to realign constituency boundaries with the new ward boundaries. This would place all three divided wards (Heston Central, Heston East, and Hounslow West) entirely in the Feltham and Heston constituency and result in the transfer of 3,633 electors. The electorate of the Brentford and Isleworth constituency would be 79,344 and that of the Feltham and Heston constituency would be 77,606, resulting in a reduced disparity of 1,738. Prior to this the Brentford and Isleworth was the largest constituency in London and remains one of the largest even after the reduction.

The Conservative party proposed pairing the Hounslow borough with Hillingdon to bring the average size down. The Commission rejected this on the grounds that Heathrow Airport would split the constituency. The proposals would have the effect of putting more pressure on the parliamentary majority of Ann Keen in Brentford and Isleworth. The recent borough elections have put Labour in the minority in wards in the constituency and the areas being moved out of the constituency are in Labour majority wards. Ann Keen was unavailable for comment on this matter.

Ann Keen - Changes put majority under pressure

Chiswick voters in Ealing borough will also see changes. Currently the Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush seat contains 43,773 electors of Ealing borough and 27,416 electors of Hammersmith and Fulham borough. The Commission have decided to review Ealing individually and to allocate three seats to the borough with the Southfield ward which comprises much of the North of Chiswick being put in a new Ealing Acton seat which is made up of wards from Ealing borough.

The changes have already been subject to an enquiry and will now be present to Stephen Byer's department for final approval.

Boundary Commission to Review Local Constituencies

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