Andrew Jones MP has welcomed recommendations from the Boundary Commission for England that the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency should retain its present boundaries after national changes in 2018.
The Boundary Commission has been working on proposals to reduce the number of parliamentary constituencies from 650 to 600, as well as ensuring that all constituencies contain a similar number of voters.
A previous set of boundary proposals, released to public consultation in September 2016, suggested that Boroughbridge and the villages of the Claro ward could be moved into the Selby and Ainsty constituency.
However, under revised proposals released on Tuesday the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency will retain its current geographical boundaries, including the towns of Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge, as well as the villages of the Claro and Killinghall rural areas.
A report from the Boundary Commission stated that responses to its 2016 consultation had made it clear that popular opinion in the Boroughbridge and Claro areas was for remaining within the Harrogate and Knaresborough Constituency.
Andrew Jones MP said:
It is great that our communities will be kept together and the boundary commission has taken note of the opinions of local people and has amended its proposals. The town of Boroughbridge and the nearby villages have a strong connection with Harrogate and Knaresborough, far more so than with Selby.
The proposals are open to public comments for six weeks and can be viewed on the Boundary Commission’s website.
