On Wednesday 28th June 2023, the independent Boundary Commission for England, alongside their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, laid their final boundary change proposals with the Speaker of the House of Commons.On the 28th June the report was laid in Parliament.They published the recommendations on their website.
Following the laying of the report in Parliament, the Government must now prepare the Order to give effect to our recommendations which has to be done before 28th October 2023. Any General Election held after that date will be held on the new boundaries. Any by-elections would be held on existing boundaries. Parliament has no say in the process, which will now happen automatically every 8 years.
The initial proposals kept our communities broadly together as they are now with an enlarged Copeland constituency, an enlarged Penrith and The Border constituency, and an enlarged Workington constituency. I supported those proposals in writing and at the public hearing, apart from a name change request following representations from constituents.
The Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats asked the Boundary Commission to dissect our communities, in an attempt to gerrymander the outcome. Unfortunately they were successful in ripping our communities apart at the second proposals, and asked for further changes at the final stage, some of which were also accepted.
The result is a constituency from Maryport in the West to Alston in the East, taking in Dalston and Durdar, Keswick, Wigton and Penrith, while keeping Cockermouth, Aspatria and Silloth. It will no doubt be one of the most picturesque constituencies in the UK - and one of the largest!
The final maps for the Whitehaven and Workington and Penrith and Solway constituencies can be downloaded below, along with a copy of the final report.
In February, I was selected by Conservative Party members to fight the new Penrith and Solway constituency, which takes in two-thirds of the constituency I've represented since December 2019, and that I represented as Deputy Leader of Allerdale Borough Council prior to that.
I will continue to represent the current constituency until the day of the next election, and I will continue to serve each and every constituent faithfully and diligently. It has been the honour of my lifetime to represent my peers in the town in which I grew up, and I'm looking forward to the new challenge ahead.
I have been incredibly successful in delivering 'My Plan' across the Workington constituency, and I'll continue with the same vigour across Penrith and Solway - delivering for our towns and villages.
I want to know what matters to you across the new constituency, so please do CLICK HERE to complete my survey, or email me at tellmark@mark-jenkinson.co.uk
HELP ME WIN IN PENRITH AND SOLWAY
CLICK HERE to let me know how you can help me win in Penrith and Solway, so that I can continue delivering for our communities.
FACEBOOK GROUPS
I have created a Facebook group for each of the new constituencies so that you can see news and updates relevant to you. Please click on them to join:
