The Boundary Commission have confirmed there will be no public hearing on the Isle of Wight in relation to the proposed boundary changes.
Earlier today the Boundary Commission announced the date of the first public hearing.
Hearings in Guildford, Oxford, Portsmouth, Brighton and Maidstone were announced, but no dates for the Isle of Wight were given.
Given that the Isle of Wight constituency is the only in the country that is increasing the number of MPs – rather than reducing them – you’d imagine the Boundary Commission would appreciate that a hearing on the Island would be something of great importance.
Boundary Commission confirm
In response to a query from OnTheWight, a spokesperson for the Boundary Commission told us,
There’s no public hearing taking place on the Isle of White [sic], the hearings in the South East are:
- 20 – 21 October – Guildford
- 24 – 25 October – Oxford
- 27 – 28 October – Portsmouth
- 31 October – 1 November – Brighton
- 3 – 4 November – Maidstone
The hearing in Guildford is the lead hearing for the South East, when the political parties are provisionally booked to make their representations for the region between 10am and 1pm.
Update: No movement on holding a hearing on the Island
OnTheWight asked the Boundary Commission why they felt it wasn’t important for the Island to have its own hearing, forcing Islanders to pay to cross the Solent instead.
A Boundary Commission for England spokesperson said:
“The Boundary Commission for England is required by an act of parliament to conduct between two and five public hearings in each region of England. Public hearings are just one aspect of consultation and carry no more weight than written representations – everyone can submit their comments through the website until 5 December.
“The distribution of hearings reflects the number of constituencies each region has been allocated. Therefore, we have to consider carefully where to hold the hearings to make sure they are accessible to as many people across the region as possible.
“The South East has been allocated the maximum number of public hearings allowed per region – five – in Guildford, Oxford, Portsmouth, Brighton and Maidstone.”
Article edit
Second response from Boundary Commission added.
