Get your voice heard in the parliamentary boundary debate

Watford residents will get their chance to comment on the draft proposals for new parliamentary boundaries. Under the current proposals that the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) have put to consultation, the Watford seat will lose the Leavesden ward as well as the halved wards of Gade Valley and Abbots Langley and Bedmond that the constituency currently serves. Meanwhile, Carpenders Park will be absorbed by Hertsmere and neighbouring South Oxhey will be incorporated. Watford MP Richard Harrington agreed that changes needed to be made. He said: “The Boundary Review is about equalising the size of each constituency so that everyone’s vote carries equal weight. By the time we face the 2020 election, the current boundaries of many constituencies will be 20 years old. “On top of this, to reduce the cost of politics, the number of MPs will be cut by 50 as agreed in legislation in the last parliament. All of this means that the current Watford boundaries have 10,000 more voters than the Boundary Commission’s target, so sadly I have resigned myself to the fact that there definitely will be some change to the Watford constituency.” Despite details being revealed in September, public consultations only began on October 31 in Chelmsford. The nearest hearing to Watford will take place in Luton at the Town Hall on Monday, November 7. Have your say: what do you think of the Watford boundary proposals? Email harry@mynewsmag.co.uk