Proposed changes to constituency boundaries would see Histon & Impington voting for an MP who would cover a largely rural area stretching west as far as St Neots.
The village is currently part of the South East Cambridgeshire constituency, held by Lucy Frazer MP for the Conservatives. It covers the eastern half of South Cambridgeshire district and the southern part of East Cambridgeshire and includes the city of Ely, together with towns and villages including Milton, Over, Burwell, Fulbourn, Linton, Soham and Waterbeach.
Under the new proposals, South East Cambridgeshire would disappear and Histon & Impington, and Orchard Park, would be at the far eastern boundary of a new constituency, provisionally named ‘St Neots’, in which St Neots would be the town with the highest population density.
Villages in the new St Neots constituency would include Girton, Oakington, Longstanton and Madingley. Further afield would be Abbotsley, Bourn and Great Gransden in the south. But Cottenham, Milton and Waterbeach would all become part of a new East Cambridgeshire constituency.
The public can view the proposed constituencies as part of an eight-week consultation process, and give online feedback on the proposed new boundary lines, the names of the constituencies and any other related issues. The outcome of this first consultation will be fed into two further consultation rounds in 2022.
Why now?
The Boundary Commission for England is the independent advisory body that is legally responsible for recommending the new constituencies to Parliament. It is required to ensure that the number of electors in each constituency is more equal.
By law, its review must be based on electorate data from 2 March 2020 and each constituency must contain between 69,724 and 77,062 electors. To achieve that, ten new constituencies will be created in England, taking the total number to 543. More than 90% of existing constituencies will change.
The Eastern region has been allocated 61 constituencies – three more than at present. Cambridgeshire, which has seen significant development since the last boundary changes in 2010, would be given one extra.
Have your say
The Commission will present final recommendations to Parliament by July 2023.
Tim Bowden, Secretary to the Commission for England, said: “We want to hear the views of the public to ensure that we get the new boundaries for Parliamentary constituencies right… it is your local knowledge that helps us to shape constituencies that best reflect your local area.”
To comment on the boundary proposals, visit the consultation website where you can view the maps showing the proposed new boundaries for the East. The consultation closes on 2 August 2021.