In their latest set of proposals for new parliamentary constituencies, the Boundary Commission have adopted the Conservative Party recommendations for Barnet. The Commission's revised map will now see the Chipping Barnet constituency retain East Barnet and Brunswick Park wards, and take in Edgwarebury from Hendon. Minimal changes are made to the Finchley & Golders Green and Hendon seats, compared to their current boundaries.
This latest plan from the Commission results in an electoral map that is far less disruptive for residents than their first set of proposals, which would have meant that East Barnet and Brunswick Park were attached to a primarily Enfield constituency. Under this new map, most borough residents would be represented by Barnet based MPs. This better reflects community ties.
There is now a 4-week period, ending on 5th December, to comment on the proposal. I am appealing to constituents to express their support for the map now proposed by the Commission. Their plans can be viewed on the Boundary Commission website here.
To have your say, you will need to go to https://www.bcereviews.org.uk/ and enter a post code for the borough (your own if you are live in Barnet or, if not, you can use my constituency office post code - EN5 5SU).
This will bring you to a site with a map of the constituency. You need to click on “Make a comment” and then click on the map. That brings up a new screen with a comment box. The form only accepts comments up to 10,000 characters. If you want to send more detailed representations, you can save them in as a PDF on Word document and submit it using the “Add files” option towards the bottom of the page.
Submissions at this stage can be brief and something along the following lines would be helpful:
“I warmly welcome the revised map for the Borough of Barnet. The initial boundaries suggested by the Commission would have split up communities and caused unnecessary disruption. The amended proposal for a Chipping Barnet constituency that includes East Barnet and Brunswick Park wards recognises the real concerns that were expressed by local residents. The changes to Hendon and to Finchley & Golders Green are also welcomed.”
