On September 13 we are due to see the deliberations on the proposed boundary review, which will reduce the number of seats at Westminster from 650 to 600. The number of parliamentary constituencies has varied over time; since the split of Ireland in 1922, it has ranged between 615 and 659, but it has not been below that range since the 18th century.
In 1921, the UK’s population stood at 44.027 million, so, in 1922, there were 71,589 people (not electors), per constituency. Under these propsals, with the UK population, based on the 2011 census, at 63.182 million, there will be 105,303 per constituency. If this change in ratio was replicated in terms of doctors or teachers, there would quite rightly be an uproar. Due to the low public esteem in which politicians are held, it is quite easy for the government to get away with it, on the basis of cost saving. Nevertheless, if a member of the public feels themselves aggrieved, they will often ‘write to their MP’, with the expectation that their problem will be resolved, or at least addressed, in a speedy manner. With a larger population to deal with, this will become harder for MPs to achieve. The cost savings, in terms of salary, and accompanying expenses, are negligible in the context of total public expenditure.
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