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Post by Pete Whitehead on Jan 11, 2023 16:21:53 GMT
Looking at a map it feels like the most natural seat would be a Hitchin and Letchworth seat, as the two towns are very close to each other and together make up almost enough population for a seat, only needing to take in a small amount of rural areas. I can only assume the reason they didn’t do so would be the necessity of a clunky North East Hertfordshire And South East Bedfordshire seat thanks to the current review having a seat only partially in Bedfordshire. But could perhaps be an option in future reviews if the numbers work. It would be an option if/when Hertfordshire has an entitlement to 12 whole seats |
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Post by batman on Jan 11, 2023 18:02:20 GMT
Hitchin & Letchworth were generally united in a single constituency, with Baldock which is joined on to Letchworth, until this particularly clunky seat was created.
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Post by East Anglian Lefty on Jan 12, 2023 12:10:42 GMT
The issue with Hitchin & Letchworth on current numbers is that it means you have to break up either Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield or Broxbourne, all of which are fairly sensible constituencies and it wouldn't be a change justified on least change grounds.
I suspect if you were doing it then the best option would be to put Hoddesdon in with Hertford, Cheshunt with Potters Bar and work from there, but that still ends up leaving you with either a Harpenden & Luton South or a Harpenden & Dunstable seat.
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Post by batman on Jan 12, 2023 12:30:41 GMT
Harpenden & Luton South would have claims if it ever came to exist to be amongst the most socially polarised seats in Britain.
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Jan 12, 2023 12:58:09 GMT
The issue with Hitchin & Letchworth on current numbers is that it means you have to break up either Stevenage, Welwyn Hatfield or Broxbourne, all of which are fairly sensible constituencies and it wouldn't be a change justified on least change grounds. I suspect if you were doing it then the best option would be to put Hoddesdon in with Hertford, Cheshunt with Potters Bar and work from there, but that still ends up leaving you with either a Harpenden & Luton South or a Harpenden & Dunstable seat. I mean there's a way to do it without disturbing any seats besides Hitchin and NE Herts, which is to swap the three Bedfordshire wards for Letchworth and Baldock, which would result in the 'clunky' NE Herts/SE Beds monstrosity that nyx referred to. That would be a leftovers seat par excellence but actually preferable to the knock on effects from the alternatives which you describe. The new Hitchin seat is actually pretty logical as cross county seats go, while NE Herts is a fair old mess but an unchanged one. As I say I think they can only be reunited once there are 12 whole seats in Hertfordshire |
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Post by bjornhattan on Jan 12, 2023 13:58:42 GMT
Harpenden & Luton South would have claims if it ever came to exist to be amongst the most socially polarised seats in Britain. Though not as much as you'd think - the southernmost wards in Luton (such as High Town, Crawley, and South) are relatively white and middle class compared with much of the rest of the town. Still vastly downmarket of Harpenden, but not completely different. Farley is another matter entirely, of course... |
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