Labour issues challenge to new constituency proposals for Daventry district

The proposed changes to the Daventry parliamentary constituency could see the MP for Daventry town representing people living as far north as Fleckney in Leicestershire, and Early Barton over near Wellingborough, but not residents of Newnham, Barby or Staverton.

Ken Ritchie, secretary of the Daventry Labour Party and a councillor for Abbey North ward, is set to appear before a Boundary Commission hearing in Northampton later today (Tuesday).

He said: ““People in these villages shop in Daventry, send their children to schools in Daventry and belong to voluntary organisations in Daventry. They are just as concerned about how Daventry develops as people living in the town itself, and it would be ridiculous if they were to have an MP who represents not Daventry but a constituency based around Towcester.

“We also argue that Weedon and Woodford and their surrounds should be part of our constituency and not put into South Northamptonshire. These villages have strong links with Daventry and those who live in them should be part of the political debates on Daventry’s future.”

The current Daventry constituency, represented at Westminster by the Conservative’s Chris Heaton-Harris includes the Daventry district, and some other villages particularly beween Daventry and Northampton that fall into South Northamptonshire District.

The Boundary Commission has been charged by the Government to redraw the constituency map of the country with the goal of reducing the total number of MPs, and evening out the number of constituents they represent.

Cllr Ritchie went on to say: ““We know that some constituency boundaries may need to cross county borders to achieve constituencies of the size that the Commission is required to produce. But Daventry is a growing town, and the projected increase in Daventry’s population is more or less the same as the number of electors in Leicestershire which the Boundary Commission proposes to add. The Commission’s proposal therefore seems short-sighted.”

The public can comment on the plans until December 5 via www.bce2018.org.uk.