Boundary Commission (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
Boundary Commissions in the UK are non-departmental public bodies responsible for determining the boundaries
of constituencies for elections to the Westminster (UK) Parliament, the Scottish Parliament
and the National Assembly for Wales
. There are four boundary commissions in the United Kingdom: one each for England
, Scotland
, Wales
, and Northern Ireland
. The Commissions are currently established under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986
, most recently amended by the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011. They were first established under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944
. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
envisaged that the functions of the Boundary Commissions would be transferred to the United Kingdom Electoral Commission
, but this never took place. The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009
repealed the relevant parts of the 2000 Act with effect from 1 April 2010.
There are four members of each Commission, of which three actually take part in meetings. The Speaker of the House of Commons
is the ex officio Chairman of each Boundary Commission, though he takes no actual part in the proceedings. The Deputy Chairman of a Commission, who actually presides over Commission meetings, is always a Justice in a British court.
was launched on 4 March 2011 by the Boundary Commission for England, Boundary Commission for Scotland, Boundary Commission for Wales and Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland.
Every 5 years, each Commission conducts a complete review of all constituencies in its part of the United Kingdom.
The total number of constituencies in the United Kingdom is 600 with the number of constituencies in each of the 4 home countries calculated in proportion to the electorate. The Sixth Review will result in 502 constituencies in England, 16 constituencies in Northern Ireland, 52 constituencies in Scotland, and 30 constituencies in Wales for the general election expected in 2015.
There is to be a constituency covering the Orkney and Shetland Islands, another covering the Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles)
, and 2 covering the Isle of Wight
. The electorate of each constituency has to be within 5% of the United Kingdom average, except from a very few specified exemptions for islands and very sparsely populated areas.
.
Under the previous rules, the number of constituencies in Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) had to "not be substantially greater or less than 613", of which at least 35 had to be in Wales. The City of London
was not to be partitioned and was to be included in a seat that referred to it by name. The Orkney and Shetland Islands were not to be combined with any other areas. Northern Ireland had to have 16-18 constituencies.
At the 2010 general election there were 533 constituencies in England, 40 constituencies in Wales, 59 constituencies in Scotland and 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland giving a total of 650.
The procedure for reviews of constituencies and regions for the Scottish Parliament
is set down by the Scotland Act 1998
. That Act specifies that there are 73 constituencies for the Scottish Parliament: the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands and 71 others. The Act also specifies that the constituencies are grouped into 8 regions to allow the return of list members elected by proportional representation to the Parliament. The Boundary Commission for Scotland conducted a review of these boundaries between 2007 and 2010, whose recommendations will be implemented from 2011
. Since the legislation requires different numbers of constituencies in Scotland for the United Kingdom Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, these 2 sets of areas do not fit together neatly.
The Government of Wales Act 2006
specified that the constituencies for the National Assembly for Wales
were the same as those for the Westminster Parliament. The Act required the Boundary Commission for Wales to group the constituencies into electoral regions, to allow the return of list members elected by proportional representation to the Assembly. The Boundary Commission for Wales's Fifth General Review resulted in revised Assembly constituencies and electoral regions. The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 removed the link between Westminster constituencies and National Assembly for Wales constituencies: replacement legislation is expected in time for the National Assembly elections in 2015.
The Northern Ireland Assembly
uses the same constituencies that are used for the United Kingdom Parliament, but there are six members rather than just one elected from each constituency.
boundaries. A second rule requires that each constituency should have an electorate within 5% of the average electorate of all constituencies. A further rule allows a Commission to take into account “special geographical considerations”. The rules also require the Commissions, if altering constituencies, to take account of inconveniences this will cause and local ties that would be broken.
It is obvious that the rules are to an extent mutually contradictory, and therefore each Commission has discretion on how it applies them. In doing so, each Commission aims for a consistent approach within a review.
It has been normal practice for local government electoral wards to be used as building blocks for constituencies, although there is no legislative requirement to do so. In Scotland, the introduction of multi-member wards
in 2007 has made it harder to do so, since these wards each have a large electorate, and therefore a collection of complete wards may not give an electorate that is close to the required average.
The law specifies that the electorate used during a review is the registered electorate at the time of the start of the review, and not the electorate at the end of a review, or the total population.
Boundary changes can have a significant effect on the results of elections, but Boundary Commissions do not take any account of voting patterns in their deliberations, or consider what the effect of their recommendations on the outcome of an election will be.
implementing the recommendations. Parliament may approve or reject these recommendations, but may not amend them. If Parliament approves the recommendations, then the sovereign
makes an Order formalising the boundary changes which are used at the next general election. Any by-elections use the pre-existing boundaries.
Although for many years the legislation gave the Secretary of State
power to modify a Commission’s recommendations, this power was never used. This separates boundary making by a combination of structure and convention from those elected from the resulting electoral areas. This significantly reduces any scope for gerrymandering
.
, Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales
, Local Government Boundary Commission for England
and Local Government Boundaries Commissioner for Northern Ireland. There is a measure of public confusion about what the effect of changing a parliamentary boundary will be – it will have no effect on, for example, schooling, council tax, planning decisions, rubbish collections or street lights.
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
of constituencies for elections to the Westminster (UK) Parliament, the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
and the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
. There are four boundary commissions in the United Kingdom: one each for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The Commissions are currently established under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986
Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986
The Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is the legislation defining the constitution and work of the 4 parliamentary Boundary Commissions in the UK...
, most recently amended by the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011. They were first established under the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944
House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1944
The House of Commons Act 1944 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that established permanent boundary commissions for each of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom, and provided for the periodic review of the number and boundaries of parliamentary constituencies.The Act...
. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that sets out how political parties, elections and referendums are to be regulated in the United Kingdom...
envisaged that the functions of the Boundary Commissions would be transferred to the United Kingdom Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...
, but this never took place. The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009
Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009
The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The legislation places a duty on local authorities to promote understanding of the functions and democratic arrangements of the authority among local people...
repealed the relevant parts of the 2000 Act with effect from 1 April 2010.
There are four members of each Commission, of which three actually take part in meetings. The Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
is the ex officio Chairman of each Boundary Commission, though he takes no actual part in the proceedings. The Deputy Chairman of a Commission, who actually presides over Commission meetings, is always a Justice in a British court.
House of Commons elections
Under the current rules, the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituenciesSixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies
The Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, also known as the 2013 Review, is an ongoing process by which parliamentary constituencies to the British House of Commons will be reformed, to comply with the revised rules for the number and size of constituencies introduced by the...
was launched on 4 March 2011 by the Boundary Commission for England, Boundary Commission for Scotland, Boundary Commission for Wales and Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland.
Every 5 years, each Commission conducts a complete review of all constituencies in its part of the United Kingdom.
The total number of constituencies in the United Kingdom is 600 with the number of constituencies in each of the 4 home countries calculated in proportion to the electorate. The Sixth Review will result in 502 constituencies in England, 16 constituencies in Northern Ireland, 52 constituencies in Scotland, and 30 constituencies in Wales for the general election expected in 2015.
There is to be a constituency covering the Orkney and Shetland Islands, another covering the Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles)
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
, and 2 covering the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. The electorate of each constituency has to be within 5% of the United Kingdom average, except from a very few specified exemptions for islands and very sparsely populated areas.
Previous reviews of Westminster constituencies
Previously, each Commission conducted a complete review of all constituencies in its part of the United Kingdom every eight to twelve years. In between these general reviews, the Commissions were able to conduct interim reviews of part of their area of responsibility. The interim reviews usually did not yield drastic changes in boundaries, while the general reviews generally did. The most recent general review in Wales was given effect by an Order made in 2006, in England by an Order from 2007 and in Northern Ireland by an Order from 2008, with the new boundaries used for the May 2010 general election. The most recent general review in Scotland was given effect in 2005, and the resulting constituencies were used in the May 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
Under the previous rules, the number of constituencies in Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) had to "not be substantially greater or less than 613", of which at least 35 had to be in Wales. The City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
was not to be partitioned and was to be included in a seat that referred to it by name. The Orkney and Shetland Islands were not to be combined with any other areas. Northern Ireland had to have 16-18 constituencies.
At the 2010 general election there were 533 constituencies in England, 40 constituencies in Wales, 59 constituencies in Scotland and 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland giving a total of 650.
Devolved parliaments and assemblies
The Boundary Commissions are also responsible for reviews of boundaries for devolved parliaments and assemblies.The procedure for reviews of constituencies and regions for the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
is set down by the Scotland Act 1998
Scotland Act 1998
The Scotland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is the Act which established the devolved Scottish Parliament.The Act will be amended by the Scotland Bill 2011, if and when it receives royal assent.-History:...
. That Act specifies that there are 73 constituencies for the Scottish Parliament: the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands and 71 others. The Act also specifies that the constituencies are grouped into 8 regions to allow the return of list members elected by proportional representation to the Parliament. The Boundary Commission for Scotland conducted a review of these boundaries between 2007 and 2010, whose recommendations will be implemented from 2011
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions from 2011
As a result of the first periodical review of Scottish Parliament constituencies, , new constituencies and additional member regions of the Scottish Parliament are to be introduced for the 2011 Scottish Parliament election...
. Since the legislation requires different numbers of constituencies in Scotland for the United Kingdom Parliament and the Scottish Parliament, these 2 sets of areas do not fit together neatly.
The Government of Wales Act 2006
Government of Wales Act 2006
The Government of Wales Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reforms the National Assembly for Wales and allows further powers to be granted to it more easily...
specified that the constituencies for the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
were the same as those for the Westminster Parliament. The Act required the Boundary Commission for Wales to group the constituencies into electoral regions, to allow the return of list members elected by proportional representation to the Assembly. The Boundary Commission for Wales's Fifth General Review resulted in revised Assembly constituencies and electoral regions. The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 removed the link between Westminster constituencies and National Assembly for Wales constituencies: replacement legislation is expected in time for the National Assembly elections in 2015.
The Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
uses the same constituencies that are used for the United Kingdom Parliament, but there are six members rather than just one elected from each constituency.
Considerations and process
The Boundary Commissions are required to apply a series of rules when designing constituencies. One of these rules requires them to take account of local governmentLocal government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
boundaries. A second rule requires that each constituency should have an electorate within 5% of the average electorate of all constituencies. A further rule allows a Commission to take into account “special geographical considerations”. The rules also require the Commissions, if altering constituencies, to take account of inconveniences this will cause and local ties that would be broken.
It is obvious that the rules are to an extent mutually contradictory, and therefore each Commission has discretion on how it applies them. In doing so, each Commission aims for a consistent approach within a review.
It has been normal practice for local government electoral wards to be used as building blocks for constituencies, although there is no legislative requirement to do so. In Scotland, the introduction of multi-member wards
Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004
The Local Governance Act 2004 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided, inter alia, for the election of Councillors to the local authorities in Scotland by the Single Transferable Vote system....
in 2007 has made it harder to do so, since these wards each have a large electorate, and therefore a collection of complete wards may not give an electorate that is close to the required average.
The law specifies that the electorate used during a review is the registered electorate at the time of the start of the review, and not the electorate at the end of a review, or the total population.
Boundary changes can have a significant effect on the results of elections, but Boundary Commissions do not take any account of voting patterns in their deliberations, or consider what the effect of their recommendations on the outcome of an election will be.
Implementation of recommendations
Once a Commission has completed a review, it makes a report to the appropriate Secretary of State who puts legislation to the ParliamentParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
implementing the recommendations. Parliament may approve or reject these recommendations, but may not amend them. If Parliament approves the recommendations, then the sovereign
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
makes an Order formalising the boundary changes which are used at the next general election. Any by-elections use the pre-existing boundaries.
Although for many years the legislation gave the Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
power to modify a Commission’s recommendations, this power was never used. This separates boundary making by a combination of structure and convention from those elected from the resulting electoral areas. This significantly reduces any scope for gerrymandering
Gerrymandering
In the process of setting electoral districts, gerrymandering is a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan, incumbent-protected districts...
.
Relationship with local government functions
The scope of the Boundary Commissions’ work is limited to areas for election to Parliaments and Assemblies. Local authority areas and electoral areas are reviewed by the separate, but similarly named Local Government Boundary Commission for ScotlandLocal Government Boundary Commission for Scotland
The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland is an independent body in Scotland created under the Local Government Act 1973...
, Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales
Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales
The Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales is a Welsh Government sponsored body, responsible for defining borders for local elections in Wales....
, Local Government Boundary Commission for England
Local Government Boundary Commission for England
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England a body established to review boundaries of local government areas in England and their electoral arrangements.-History and establishment:...
and Local Government Boundaries Commissioner for Northern Ireland. There is a measure of public confusion about what the effect of changing a parliamentary boundary will be – it will have no effect on, for example, schooling, council tax, planning decisions, rubbish collections or street lights.
See also
- Electoral Affairs Commission of Hong KongElectoral Affairs CommissionThe Electoral Affairs Commission of Hong Kong is an independent, apolitical and impartial body established under the Electoral Affairs Commission Ordinance...
- Boundary Commission (Ireland)Boundary Commission (Ireland)The Irish Boundary Commission was a commission which met in 1924–25 to decide on the precise delineation of the border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland...
which drew the border between the (then) Irish Free StateIrish Free StateThe Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
and Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
in 1925 - GerrymanderingGerrymanderingIn the process of setting electoral districts, gerrymandering is a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan, incumbent-protected districts...