"An Attempt To Create Disharmony" - Isle Of Wight Boundary Plans Prompt Petition

Monday, 14 June 2021 12:17

By Oliver Dyer @olidyer

A petition describes plans to split the Isle of Wight into two constituencies as a "threat to our way of life".

More than 100 people have backed proposals to scrap the idea, which is currently under consultation.

Under initial proposals published by The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) last week, the Island would be divided into West and East.

It would see two MPs working across the constituencies, instead of the one (Bob Seely) the Island has currently.

Reaction to the plans has been mixed, with some local politicians and residents hailing them as a chance for greater representation at Westminster.

However, others have called for them to be halted. One of those against the changes is Islander Angela Hewitt.

She's created a petition, labelling plans "an attempt to create disharmony".

She said:

"We do not want to be divided with the inevitable disharmony it will bring and thrust upon us. 2 politicians with different ideals will cause nothing but trouble for us Islanders. When we became a Unitary Authority it was a huge success and brought us together as a strong community. We have united views on the environment, strong commitment to our History and our community. At a time in the world where unity is everything this seems to an attempt to create disharmony.

"If it is about the number of voters in a constituency it doesn't make sense. It doesn't alter the demographic. People are unhappy all over the country even in small constituencies. We feel this is a threat to our way of life, our Island life and our quality of life. We stand together. We often feel that we are bullied by Government and those bodies know nothing about how an Island works.

"That said someone has realised that The Isle of Wight and Anglesey should be treated as special cases - we are protected from such disruption. This alone should be reason enough not to split our Island into separate sides doomed to battle against each other."

Although larger in size, the proposed West boundary would have an electorate of just 54,712. While the East would be smaller geographically but have a larger electorate of 57,004.

A consultation is live now. Islanders can have their say here - https://www.bcereviews.org.uk/.

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"An Attempt To Create Disharmony" - Isle Of Wight Boundary Plans Prompt Petition

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