Boundary changes due to be revealed

The initial proposals set out by the Boundary Commission last year would see parts of Dunstable join with Luton North and Mid Beds MP Nadine Dorries’ seat axed completely.

The commission’s plans to reduce the number of serving MPs in England from 650 to 600 would see Ms Dorries’ constituency, which includes Toddington, Barton and Streatley, disappear, with its individual wards swallowed up by surrounding constituencies.

A consultation took place after the publication of the proposals, and the revised set will be published on October 16.

Another eight-week public consultation will then take place, running from October 16 to December 10.

The commission says that once it has considered the comments received, it will make its final recommendations by October 1, 2013.

The initial plans, which aim to make each constituency roughly an even size in terms of the number of voters, would see the Dunstable Downs, Icknield, Northfields and Watling wards become part of the Luton North constituency, which would be renamed Luton North & Dunstable.

Luton’s Barnfield and Saints wards would switch to Luton South, currently held by Labour’s Gavin Shuker, to even up the numbers.

Toddington, Harlington and Houghton Regis would all fall under South West Bedfordshire.

Speaking when the proposals were initially announced, Ms Dorries said: “We have a consultation and appeal to go through yet. From experience we know that what the boundary committee suggests first is never what the changes are at the end.”