Lewisham Council is set to challenge Government proposals to reduce the borough’s representation in Parliament.
Government plans to cut the number of MPs in Parliament overall will lead to the London Borough of Lewisham losing its 3 dedicated Lewisham MPs.
This is despite the borough having worked so hard to enrol eligible voters that it increased its electorate by nearly 20 per cent – the highest such increase in the whole of the UK.
Cllr Alan Hall who has been leading the challenge to the proposals said before the Full Council meeting on Wednesday 23rd November: “Lewisham has the highest increase in registration of new voters in the whole of the UK. Yet we are going to have our 3 dedicated Lewisham parliamentary seats cut.
“It runs counter to common sense, fairness and democratic principles. It is also just plain stupid as the maths doesn’t reflect the reality.
“We are not going to just roll over and accept this gerrymandering lying down. Even though we know the Government is intent on pushing this through, we will not lose the opportunity to highlight the fact this is a tory stitch up.”
Notes
Maps with the proposal, counter proposal and current Parliamentary boundaries for Lewisham are in the full report on the Parliamentary boundary changes to be agreed at Lewisham Council and it is here