Overview

This bill amends the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, changing the number and size of parliamentary constituencies in the UK. It sets a fixed number of constituencies for Great Britain and Northern Ireland and establishes rules for the electorate size of each.

Description

The bill makes the following key changes:

• Number of Constituencies: Fixes the number of constituencies in Great Britain at 632 and in Northern Ireland at 18.
• Electorate Size: Specifies that the electorate of each constituency in Great Britain must be between 92.5% and 107.5% of a calculated quota. A similar rule applies to Northern Ireland constituencies using a separate quota. The calculation of the electorate will be based on the most recent general election's register.
• Boundary Commission Reports: Requires the Boundary Commissions to submit reports before October 1st, 2022, and then every ten years thereafter. It updates the calculations for the UK electorate based on the most recent General Election registers.
• Consequential Amendments: Makes various minor amendments to the 1986 Act to reflect the changes in constituency numbers and electorates.

Government Spending

The bill states that any expenditure incurred under this Act, and any increase in expenditure under other Acts attributable to this Act, will be paid from public funds. No specific figures are provided.

Groups Affected

• Electoral Commission: Responsible for implementing the changes to constituency boundaries and electorates.
• Boundary Commissions: Responsible for redrawing constituency boundaries to meet the requirements of the bill.
• Political Parties: Will need to adapt their campaigning strategies to the new constituency boundaries and sizes.
• Voters: May find themselves in a different constituency after boundary changes.
• Members of Parliament (MPs): May find their constituencies altered or even abolished.

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