Councillors have shared their thoughts on proposals to redraw parliamentary boundaries.
On 28th July, Wealden District Council’s Audit and Standards Committee discussed details of the Boundary Commission’s initial proposals to redraw parliamentary constituencies.
Announced in June, the proposals would see a number of changes to constituency boundaries across the country.
Locally, the biggest change would see the creation of a new constituency called East Grinstead and Uckfield, which would be split across both East and West Sussex.
The rest of Wealden would be in a renamed Hailsham and Crowborough constituency.
The Committee raised no major concerns about the proposals, although members argued Sussex Weald would be a more appropriate name for the renamed Wealden constituency.
They also argued that the parish of Hartfield should be within it, rather than the new East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency as currently proposed. This would balance the number of electors better, it was argued.
Committee chairman Neil Waller, who represents Crowborough South West, said:
One constituency is 76,000 [voters] which is towards the upper end of the limit and one constituency is 70,000 which is towards the lower end of the limit, which is Hailsham and Crowborough.
Given Hartfield’s link to the Weald – Winnie the Pooh things like that – would it make sense for Hartfield to be incorporated into the Hailsham and Crowborough constituency, which we are suggesting should be Sussex Weald, and equalising them both out at around 73,000 voters.
Cllr Neil Waller
The Committee agreed for these recommendations to be fed back to the Boundary Commission as part of its consultation process.
Nus Ghani MP has also been campaigning to keep Hartfield, Withyham and Crowborough together.
Although the consultation has now closed (on Monday) – there will be a further two rounds of consultation next year.
This is what happens when people draw easy lines on a map without taking consideration of local reality, then throw out a ‘consultation’ and ignore its findings. It’s happened before.
It just goes to show how little they know or respect our Crowborough history or representation needs. Crowborough in the past was linked with Uckfield for example being part of Uckfield Rural District Council and East Grinstead Parliamentary Constituency with Jeffery Johnson-Smith as our MP who lived in High Hurstwood. Wealden Councillors seem bent on forcing us to be linked and administered from Hailsham and the South. Yet Crowborough’s infrastructure links are with Uckfield and Tunbridge Wells. Hailsham ought to become part of Eastbourne given it’s infrastructure and other links as a unitary authority. Crowborough and Uckfield including Hartfield and Withyham should again be together as part of East Sussex. MP’s should represent constituency voters who are likely to have similar local issues rather than divide and rule as has happen with major planning applications between the North and the South of the current Wealden District. With Councillor comments like “anything to take the pressure of the south” in agreeing to the Eridge Road developments in Crowborough. A development in the AONB which the MP which was not against.