Meeting documents

To receive PowerPoint presentation and verbal update

The Committee received a PowerPoint presentation from the Council’s Monitoring Officer and Head of Governance and Democratic Services, Scott Wooldridge, providing an covering the final proposals for the changes to Parliamentary Constituencies published by The Boundary Commission for England on 8 November 2022.

Mr Wooldridge explained that the consultation closes on 5 December 2022 and that the Commission will then analyse all the responses submitted during this final consultation stages, to decide whether to make any final adjustments to the revised proposals. The outcome of these deliberations will be their final report and recommendations, which should be provided to Parliament (and published) by 1 July 2023.

There are currently five constituencies within the existing Somerset County boundaries and the proposals are for there to be 7 Constituencies. The only amendments affecting initial proposals for Somerset constituencies are the inclusion of the Norton Fitzwarren and Staplegrove ward in the Taunton constituency and the Upper Culm ward in the Tiverton and Minehead constituency.

The Committee discussed the proposals for Somerset and how best to respond to the consultation. It was noted that it is open to individual members to separately submit their own responses.

It was agreed that the following response be submitted to the consultation: -

1. To request that the following County constituencies be renamed, as follows:

(a)  ‘Taunton County Constituency’ – renamed as ‘Taunton and Wellington County Constituency’ and to endorse the proposal to include Norton Fitzwarren and Staplegrove ward in the constituency

(b)  Tiverton and Minehead County Constituency’ – renamed as ‘West Somerset and Tiverton County Constituency’

(c)   ‘Wells and Mendip Hills County Constituency’ – renamed as ‘Wells County Constituency’

2. Raise concerns about the inclusion of Bruton in the Frome County Constituency as opposed to the Glastonbury and Somerton County Constituency, due to its historic ties with Wincanton and additionally the proposed County Constituency boundary divides the secondary school in Bruton.