The Boundary Commission for England has published its final recommendations for new constituency boundaries which shows Melksham will transfer from the Chippenham constituency and be merged with Devizes.
Melksham currently forms part of the Chippenham constituency, represented by MP Michelle Donelan, which includes Bradford-on-Avon and Corsham. Under the new proposals, Melksham and Bradford-on-Avon will no longer be part of the Chippenham constituency, but will join Devizes in a new constituency named Melksham and Devizes.
The Commission has now fulfilled its statutory responsibilities and the submission of the report and its publication ends the commission’s involvement in the 2023 Boundary Review which would see the number of constituencies in England increase from 533 to 543.
Secretary to the commission, Tim Bowden, said, “The recommendations we have published today mark the end of a thorough and consultative process to build the new map of parliamentary constituencies. We have taken into account over 60,000 public comments, travelled the country, and heard many passionate views about how best to reflect local community ties in our recommendations. We are confident that our final recommendations are the best reflection of the statutory rules Parliament has set us. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has participated in the 2023 Boundary Review.”
The government now has four months to bring forward an order to give effect to the final recommendations.
The final recommendations can be viewed on the Commission’s website at https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/
