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Victoria Prentis backs constituency boundary changes
03/08/2021
MP says it seems logical to create a new constituency to cover the Bicester area
Banbury’s MP has given her support to the proposals to split the existing Banbury parliamentary constituency, creating a new Bicester constituency to the south and extending the northern area to include Chipping Norton with Banbury.
The proposed changes were announced in June by electoral officials. They form part of the biggest shake-up of parliamentary constituencies in England in decades.
Mrs Prentis was first elected to the Banbury seat in 2015. The constituency currently represents both Banbury and Bicester together with 54 surrounding villages. The constituency is currently one of the largest in the country. At the 2019 election, there were 90,116 registered voters.
In her response to the ongoing consultation on the proposals Mrs Prentis said: “Since my election in 2015, it has always been clear to me that there would have to be some fundamental re-drawing of the constituency boundaries.
“We have witnessed significant growth in the area in the past few years. Cherwell District Council is one of the leading house-building authorities in the country witnessing a pre-pandemic peak of three new houses constructed a day.
“The current Banbury constituency is 13,518 electors above the maximum permitted. It seems logical to create a new constituency to cover the Bicester area along the boundary line proposed.”
In splitting the existing Banbury constituency in half the electoral commission have incorporated some areas that are currently in the Witney constituency. This is so that the population count will be large enough for the new northern constituency to be viable.
Mrs Prentis acknowledges that some residents in West Oxfordshire might not be happy about this move. She says: “I appreciate that there might be some disappointment among residents in the Witney constituency given the substantive changes that are proposed. However, it was inevitable that the size of the constituency would need to be addressed, as is the case with Banbury, given that it is currently above the maximum number of electors permitted.
“It strikes me as logical to incorporate some of the current Witney constituency into the new Banbury constituency boundaries given the longstanding historical connections there are between some of the communities, including Chipping Norton and Woodstock.
“While the Banbury constituency will cover wards in two local authorities – Cherwell District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council – I see no reason why this should prove problematic.”
The wards proposed to be included in the new Banbury Constituency are Adderbury, Bloxham and Bodicote; Banbury Cross and Neithrop; Banbury Grimsbury and Hightown; Banbury Hardwick; Banbury Ruscote; Banbury Calthorpe and Easington; Chadlington and Churchill; Charlbury and Finstock; Chipping Norton; Cropredy, Sibfords and Wroxton; Deddington; Kingham, Rollright and Enstone; and the Bartons.
Mrs Prentis also supports the proposals to name the new southern constituency Bicester, whilst the northern area should retain its current name. She said: “For some time I have referred to my current constituency as North Oxfordshire given that it incorporates the large towns of both Banbury and Bicester. While not its official name, it has become appropriate as the constituency has grown.
“Going forward, the proposal to retain the Banbury constituency name and use Bicester for the newly-created constituency seems entirely sensible.”
The consultation period on the proposed changes closed yesterday. Mrs Prentis does not allude to her intentions should the proposals move forward and be implemented.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam