The Boundary Commission for England Papers

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Scope and Content

The papers relate primarily to the Boundary Commission review of the British Isles carried out in the first half of the 1990s.

The content may be summarized as follows:

Boundary Commission for England (1992-1993): Minutes of Proceedings and Assistant Commissioner's Reports; Public Inquiries, representations and documentation.
Boundary Commission for Wales (1991-1994): Minutes and reports on local inquiries; Representations and Evidence.
Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland (1993-1995): Minutes, Public Notices and Provisional Recommendations; transcripts of proceedings at public local inquiries; representations.
Boundary Commission for Scotland (1993-1994): Boundary Commission Minutes; Transcripts of proceedings at local inquiries; Representations and submissions.
Boundary Commission maps.

Administrative / Biographical History

The Boundary Commission was set up by Parliament in 1944 as an independent non-political body responsible for reviewing parliamentary constituencies approximately every 10 years. Funding is received from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). The Commission comprises four members: the Speaker of the House of Commons, who is the Commission's chairman; a High Court judge acting as deputy chairman; a Queen's Counsel; a former civil servant. The Commission plays a purely advisory role with the purpose of ensuring that every constituency has about the same number of electors. Each person's vote will accordingly carry the same weight in a general election. The Commissioners' principal task is therefore to review constituency boundaries (area by area) in consultation with the public. The Commissioners can only fulfil this by taking into consideration local boundaries, local ties, geography and the inconvenience caused by changing boundaries. Finally they make recommendations to the Secretary of State through a report covering the whole of England, which is then presented to Parliament. Approval guarantees that the new constituencies are used at the first general election after that. It is expected that the current review shall be completed by April 2007.

Arrangement

Papers are arranged in numbered boxes as follows:

Boxes 1 to 3: London boroughs

Box 1:
- Barnet
- Bexley and Greenwich (minutes, 2 parts)
- Brent, Bromley (minutes, 2 parts)
- Camden
- Croydon (minutes, 2 parts)
Box 2:
- Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea
- Westminster, City of London (minutes, 6 parts)
- Havering
- Hillingdon
- Hounslow, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames(minutes, 2 parts)
Box 3:
- Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark (minutes, 4 parts)
- Merton
- Newham and Tower Hamlets (minutes, 2 parts)
- Redbridge and Waltham Forest (minutes, 4 parts)

Boxes 4 to 6: Metropolitan counties

Box 4: Greater Manchester:
- Bolton (minutes, 2 parts)
- Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside (minutes, 4 parts)
- City of Manchester and Borough of Trafford (minutes, 3 parts)
- Salford and Wigan
Box 5:
- Merseyside
  - Knowsley and Sefton (minutes, 2 parts)
  - City of Liverpool (minutes, 2 parts)
  - St Helens
  - Wirrall
- South Yorkshire
  - Barnsley and Doncaster
  - City of Sheffield (minutes, 4 parts)
  - Tyne and Wear (minutes, 4 parts)
Box 6:
- West Midlands
  - Birmingham (minutes, 3 parts)
  - Coventry
  - Dudley and Sandwell (minutes, 3 parts)
  - Wolverhampton
- West Yorkshire
  - Kirklees and Wakefield (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Leeds (minutes, 3 parts)
Boxes 7 to 16: Non-metropolitan counties
- Box 7:
  - Avon (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Bedfordshire (minutes, 3 parts)
  - Berkshire (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Buckingham
  - Cambridgeshire (minutes, 3 parts)
- Box 8:
  - Cheshire (minutes, 3 parts)
  - Cleveland (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Cumbria (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Derbyshire (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Devon (Exeter) (minutes, 3 parts)
  - Devon (Plymouth) (minutes, 2 parts)
- Box 9:
  - Dorset (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Durham (minutes, 2 parts)
  - East Sussex (minutes, 3 parts)
- Box 10:
  - Essex (minutes, 5 parts)
  - Gloucester
- Box 11:
  - Hampshire (Winchester) (minutes, 3 parts)
  - Hampshire (Southampton) (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Hereford and Worcester (minutes, 2 parts)
- Box 12:
  - Hertfordshire (minutes, 3 parts)
  - Humberside (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Kent (minutes, 3 parts)
- Box 13:
  - Lancashire (minutes, 8 parts)
  - Leicestershire (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Lincolnshire (minutes, 2 parts)
- Box 14:
  - Norfolk (minutes, 2 parts)
  - North Yorkshire (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Northamptonshire
  - Nottinghamshire
  - Oxfordshire (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Shropshire (two enquiries; two sets of minutes, each 2 parts)
- Box 15:
  - Somerset
  - Staffordshire (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Suffolk (minutes, 3 parts)
  - Surrey (minutes, 3 parts)
- Box 16:
  - Warwickshire
  - West Sussex (minutes, 2 parts)
  - Wiltshire (minutes, 2 parts)

Public Inquiries: Representations and Documentation - Outline list

Box 1 (a):
- Barking and Dagenham
- Enfield
- Hackney
- Harringey
- Harrow
- Islington
- Sutton
- Wandsworth
- Barnet
- Brent
Boxes 1 (b) and 1 (c): Bexley and Greenwich
Box 1 (d): Bromley
Box 2 (a):
- Camden
- Croyden
Box 2 (b): Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham
Box 2 (c): Kensington and Chelsea, Cities of London and Westminster
Box 2 (d):
- Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham
- Cities of London and Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea
Box 3 (a):
- Hillingdon
- Hounslow
Boxes 3 (b) and 3 (c):
- Lambeth and Southwark
- Lewisham
Box 3 (d):
- Merton
- Newham and Tower Hamlets
Box 4 (a): Havering
Box 4 (b): Kingston upon Thames and Richmond upon Thames
Box 4 (c) and 4 (d): Redbridge and Waltham Forest
Box 5 (a): Greater Manchester: Bolton
Boxes 5 (b) and 5 (c): Greater Manchester:
- Bury and Rochdale
- Oldham
- Stockport and Thameside
Box 5 (d): Greater Manchester: Salford and Wigan
Boxes 6 (a), 6 (b) and 6 (c): Greater Manchester: the City of Manchester and Borough of Trafford
Box 7 (a): South Yorkshire:
- Barnsley and Doncaster
- Rotherham (no inquiry)
Box 7 (b): West Yorkshire: City of Sheffield
Box 7 (c): West Yorkshire -
- Cities of Kirklees and Wakefield
- City of Bradford (No Inquiry)
- Borough of Calderdale (No Inquiry)
Box 7 (d): West Yorkshire: City of Leeds
Box 8 (a): Merseyside: Knowsley and Sefton
Box 8 (b): Merseyside:
- City of Liverpool
- St Helens
- Wirral
Boxes 8 (c) and 8 (d): Tyne and Wear:
- Gateshead
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- North Tyneside
- South Tyneside and Sunderland
Box 9 (a): West Midlands: City of Birmingham
Box 9 (b): West Midlands: City of Coventry
- Dudley and Sandwell
- Solihull (No Inquiry)
- Wolverhampton
Box 10 (a): Avon
Box 10 (b): Bedfordshire
Box 10(c):
- Berkshire
- Buckinghamshire
Box 11 (a): Cambridgeshire
Box 11 (b): Cheshire
Box 11 (c):
- Cleveland
- Cumbria
- Cornwall and Scilly (No Inquiry)
Box 11 (d): Derbyshire
Boxes 12 (a) and 12 (b): Devonshire (two Inquiries)
Boxes 13 (a) and 13 (b): East Sussex
Box 13 (c):
- Dorset
- Durham
Boxes 14 (a), 14 (b), 14 (c), 14 (d): Essex
Boxes 15 (a) and 15 (b): Hereford and Worcester
Boxes 15 (c) and 15 (d):
- Hampshire (two Inquiries)
- Gloucestershire (15d)
Boxes 16 (a), 16 (b), 16 (c), and 16 (d): Lancashire
Box 17 (a): Kent
Box 17 (b): Hertfordshire
Box 17 (c):
- Humberside
- Isle of Wight (No Inquiry)
- Lincolnshire
Box 18 (a):
- Leicestershire
- Norfolk
Box 18 (b):
- Northamtonshire
- Northumberland (No Inquiry)
- Oxfordshire
Box 18 (c):
- North Yorkshire
- Nottinghamshire
Box 19 (a):
- Suffolk
- Surrey
Box 19 (b):
- Shropshire
- Somerset
Box 19 (c): Staffordshire
Box 20 (a):
- Warwickshire
- West Sussex
Box 20 (b) and 20 (c): Wiltshire

Boundary Commission for Wales

Box 1:
- Minutes of Meetings
- Minutes of public inquiry proceedings (Verbatim reports):
  - Mold (3 vols)
  - Swansea
  - Newport
  - Cardiff
  - Llandrindod Wells
  - Carmarthen
  - Gwynedd
- Reports on Local inquiries (Assistant Commissioners' Report)
  - Clwyd
  - West Glamorgan
  - Gwent
  - South Glamorgan
  - Powys
  - Dyfed
  - Gwynedd
Box 2: Boundary Commission for Wales - Representations
- Clwyd:
  - Summary of representations
  - Copies of representations
  - Copy of statement - by Assistant Commissioner
  - Copies of late representations
  - Copies of all documentation and evidence
  - Copies of representations made in respect of revised recommendations
- Dyfed:
  - Summary of representations
  - Copies of representations
  - Copy of statement - by Assistant Commissioner
  - Copy of late representations
  - Copies of all documentation and evidence
Box 3: Boundary Commission for Wales - Representations
- Gwent:
  - Summary of representations - provisional recommendations
  - Copies of representations
  - Copy of statement - Assistant Commissioner
  - Copies of late representations
  - Copies of very late representations
  - Copies of all documentation and evidence
  - Copies of representations - revised recommendations
- Gwynedd:
  - Summary of representations - provisional recommendations
  - Copies of representations
  - Copy of statement - Assistant Commissioner
  - Copies of late representations
  - Copies of all documentation and evidence
- Powys:
  - Summary of representations - provisional
  - Copies of representations
  - Copy of statement- Assistant Commissioner
  - Copies of late representations
  - Copies of representations - revised recommendations
- South Glamorgan:
  - Summary of representations
  - Copies of representations
  - Copy of statement - by Assistant Commissioner
  - Copies of late representations
  - Copies of all documentation and evidence
  - Copies of representations - revised recommendations
- West Glamorgan:
  - Summary of representations
  - Copies of representations
  - Copy of statement - by Assistant Commissioner
  - Copies of late representations
  - Copies of late representations received the morning of the inquiry
  - Copies of late representations distributed at the inquiry
  - Copies of all documentation and evidence
  - Copies of representations received too late for inclusion within the AC's report

Boundary Commission for Scotland

Box 1:
- Minutes of Meetings
- Minutes of meetings with political parties
- Review of constituencies in Grampian region
- Assistant Commissioners' Reports:
  - Central and Tayside
  - Dumfries and Galloway
  - Fife
  - Grampian
  - Highland Region
  - Lothian and Borders
  - Strathclyde
- Boundary Commission for Scotland - Transcripts of proceedings at local inquiries
Box 2:
- Angus, volume 2 only, 26.10.93
- Grampian, 1.11.93 and 2.11.93
- Highland, 5.10.93 and 6.10.93
Box 3: The Lothians and Borders, 29.11.93, 30.11.93, 1.12.93, 6.12.93
Box 4:
- The Lotians and Borders, 7.12.93
- Strathclyde, 10.5.94, 11.5.94 and 13.5.94
Box 5:
- Ayrshire, volume 2 only, 12.5.94
- Electorate of new regional division, 16.2.92

Boundary Commission for Scotland - Representations and submissions

Boxes 6 and 7: Borders and Lothians
Boxes 8 and 9: Central and Tayside
Box 10:
- Grampian
- Highland Region
Boxes 11 and 12: Strathclyde

Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland

Box 1:
- Minutes of meetings
- Press notices
- Public notices
- Review of parliamentary constituencies 1994
- Procedure at local inquiries [n.d.]
- Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 as amended by Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 [n.d.]
- Fourth periodical review of parliamentary constituencies: explanatory note, March 1993
- Provisional recommendations, January 1994
- Statement of reasons for provisional recommendations, 31.3.94
Assistant Commissioners' reports:
- Antrim
- East Londonderry, Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Foyle and Mid Ulster
- Lagan Valley, North Down, and Strangford
- Newry and Armagh, South Down and Upper Bann

Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland - transcripts of proceedings at public local inquiries:

Box 2:
- Antrim, 9.5.94
- Belfast, 4.5.94
- Newry, 27.6.94
- Newtownwards, 13.6.94
- Omagh, 21.6.94
Boxes 4 and 5:
- Representations to the Boundary Commission
- Representations received from: Political parties and Members of Parliament, Local Authorities
- Other representations relating to the following local inquiries:
  - Belfast
  - Antrim
  - Newry
  - Newtownwards
  - Omagh
  - Others (representations re. revised recommendations)
  - Republic of Ireland - Dil Constituency Commission
Box 5:
- Report [of the Commission], 1995
- Supplementary Review of the European Parliamentary Constituencies - BCE News release, 30.10.96, and Newsletter, 21.12.98
- London Region:
  - Report of the Assistant Commissioner
  - Minutes of proceedings at a Public Inquiry - 21 and 22 July 1997
  - Summary of the Representations
  - Representations, numbered 1-268
  - Summary of the Late Representations
  - Late Representations, numbered L1-XL3
South East Region:
- Report of the Assistant Commissioner
- Minutes of proceedings - 14-16 July 1997
- Summary of Representations
- Representations, numbered 1-100
- Summary of Late Representations
- Late Representations, and Appendixes
East Anglia Region:
- Report of the Assistant Commissioner
- Minutes of proceedings - 24-25 June 1997
- Summary of the Representations
- Representations, numbered 1-124
- Summary of the Late Representations
- Late Representations, numbered L1-L10, Appendixes
South West Region:
- Report of the Assistant Commissioner
- Minutes of proceedings - 21-22 July (Taunton), 28-29 July (Southampton)
- Summary of Representations
- Representations, numbered 1-183
- Summary of the Late Representations
- Late Representations, numbered L1-L51, and Appendixes
Humberside Region:
- Report of the Assistant Commissioner
- Minutes of proceedings - 3 July
East Midlands Region:
- Report of the Assistant Commissioner
- Minutes of proceedings - 1 July 1997
- Summary of the Representations
- Representations, numbered 1-183
- Summary of the Late Representations
- Late Representations, numbered L1-XL3
West Midlands Region:
- Report of the Assistant Commissioner
- Minutes of the proceedings - 17 June 1997
- Summary of the Representations
- Representations, numbered 1-109
- Summary of the Late Representations
- Late Representations, numbered L1-XL7
North East Region: Representations, numbered 1-10
North West Region:
- Report of the Assistant Commissioner
- Minutes of Proceedings - 16 and 17 July 1997
- Summary of the Representations
- Representations, numbered 1-235
- Summary of the Late Representations
- Late Representations, numbered L1-XL12

Access Information

By written application to either the Librarian or Deputy Librarian. A letter of introduction may be required and prospective users will be obliged to sign an undertaking outlining the terms and conditions of access to the research materials.

Acquisition Information

Professor Ron Johnston.

Note

This record was compiled by David Borg-Muscat, UK Data Archive, using entries from:

Albert Sloman Library (2000) A Note on Special Collections, (University of Essex: Albert Sloman Library), p. 5.

Record entered by Nadeem Ahmad of Qualidata, UK Data Archive, University of Essex.

Other Finding Aids

A collection level record for all materials in the Boundary Commission Collection is available via Qualidata's online catalogue, Qualicat.

Conditions Governing Use

No part of the Special Collections material may be reproduced, published, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the Albert Sloman Library. This may be obtained by application to the Librarian or Deputy Librarian.

Appraisal Information

In consultation with academic colleagues, the library special collections acquisitions staff evaluate collections by assessing their relevance to the teaching and research interests of the University.

Custodial History

After being held by the Boundary Commission, the papers were presented to the Library by Professor Ron Johnston, ex-Vice Chancellor of the University of Essex, in 1995 and 1999.