I AGREE entirely with John Burnett (Times, June 3) that the Boundary Commission should be looking to decrease the number of parliamentary constituencies by at least 100. In fact I wrote to the enquiry to say so, but my submission was rejected.
The assistant commissioner, in his report, stated that Buckland Monachorum should be in the West Devon and Torridge constituency as ?the southern boundary of this constituency to be co-terminus with the district boundary?.
Yet he found no difficulty in ignoring the eastern boundary of West Devon and cutting West Devon in half to include Okehampton in the Mid-Devon area around Exeter whilst at the same time cutting off Bridestowe and Lydford to the west.
What connection have the people of Okehampton got with areas like Bradninch? If the commission is going to be consistent, the parliamentary constituency would follow the present district boundary.
Our interests and connections are all tied up with the area to the west of Okehampton and to the North Tawton area to the east. Crediton may be in Mid Devon ? renamed by the commission as Central Devon, but Okehampton area is in West Devon and should remain so.
It would be easier for councillors to have to deal with one MP instead of two or more as suggested by the commission. Surely this is something all political parties can agree on, and demand a rethink.
Any resident in West Devon who wishes the parliamentary boundary to follow the district boundary should write to the Boundary Commission for England, PO Box 31060, London SWIV 2FF or fax to 0207 533 5176 or email to [email protected]">[email protected] before July 10, 2004.
The more who make the effort and write to the commission the more chance they will change their minds, unless of course the whole exercise is tied in with the government?s regionalisation plans. But the commission is supposed to be independent!
J W Reid
Limehayes Road
Okehampton