Newark Parliamentary Constituency could expand into parts of Bassetlaw but lose some parts to Sherwood

Proposed border changes that would see areas move out of the Newark and Bingham Constituency have been revealed.

The Boundary Commission for England’s proposals seek to take into account local ties, geographic factors and local government boundaries.

Newark would expand north into the Bassetlaw region where villages in north Nottinghamshire would change boundaries.

It would lose areas such as Lowdham, Gunthorpe, Epperstone and Thurgarton to Sherwood, but gain places like Halam and Edingley from Sherwood.

Newark and Bingham MP Robert Jenrick said: “Having represented communities for many years, got to know residents and worked together on local issues, it would be a real wrench to see them move into other constituencies.

“However, overall the proposals for the county seem reasonably sensible at first glance.

“The Newark constituency remains a predominantly rural one, covering most of east Nottinghamshire from close to Gainsborough in the north to the Vale of Belvoir in the south — with the A1 and the Trent running though. Despite its length and size there is a lot of commonality in the market towns, village life and farming communities and it is quite distinctive from much of the rest of the county — and that makes sense to draw it together into one constituency. It’s a very special area really.

“There will be opportunities to input, I’d encourage residents to take part in the consultation if they wish and past experience suggests the final result may be different. I strongly support the desire to equalise constituency size, so every vote has broadly the same weight across the UK — that’s a fundamental principle in a democracy.”

A consultation has begun on the plans with a formal report and recommendations due in June 2023.