Cutting off Alresford is "illogical" (From Daily Echo)

Cutting off Alresford is "illogical"

2:16pm Saturday 10th November 2012 in News

CUTTING off Alresford from Winchester by changing constituency boundaries is totally illogical, a councillor has claimed.

The Alresford ward, which includes New Alresford and Old Alresford, Gundleton and Bighton, would join the new proposed North East Hampshire and Alton constituency that stretches as far north as Yateley, Hartley Wintney, Fleet and Hook.

The radical proposal has been put forward by the Boundary Commission for England as part of a national review to cut the number of constituencies from 533 to 502 and balance out the numbers of voters in each MP’s area.

Ernie Jeffs, city councillor for the Alresford ward, said: “A lot of people are going to be upset. It is totally illogical.

“Alresford is the market town for a number of villages and is closely associated with Winchester. This makes no sense at all to link us with places like Hartley Wintney.”

Under the changes the Meon Valley constituency would disappear and a large chunk of it will return to the Winchester constituency. That would leave MP George Hollingbery without a seat.

Mr Hollingbery lives at Old Alresford which would be in the North East Hampshire and Alton constituency.

Its current MP James Arbuthnot is standing down at the next General Election.

It is doubtful the changes will be approved however.

The Liberal Democrats have said they will not support them in revenge for the demise of their reform of the House of Lords.