Major political shake-up planned for Lincolnshire electoral boundaries

Two Greater Lincolnshire parliamentary constituencies are going to be split up, and new ones formed as part of a major shake-up of electoral boundaries across England.

Grantham and Stamford in Lincolnshire will be split up, Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire will see chunks of electorate potentially moved under a new South Humber ward, with Grimsby and Cleethorpes merged, and a new South Lincolnshire constituency.

This is part of Boundary Commission for England’s latest proposals for changes to England’s electoral map in 2023, which it says aims to give each MP a roughly similar number of voters.

The review said the move was “necessary” to balance out the figures.

“We decided the most appropriate crossing between Rutland and Lincolnshire is to include parts of the South Kesteven local authority with Rutland,” said the report.

“We therefore propose a Rutland and Stamford constituency, comprising the entirety of the Rutland unitary authority and 11 South Kesteven wards.”

The proposed new boundaries for Lincolnshire.

Below is a round-up of the changes proposed, and any electorate changes which will take place:

North Lincolnshire

• Brigg and Goole to be dismantled, as part of Scunthorpe will join with Doncaster East to create Doncaster East and Axholme (70,113 electorate total)
• Meanwhile Scunthorpe will be extended to Humber in the north to take in Winteringham and Whitton (60,411 – 74,278)
• To the East a new South Humber Ward is to be created taking out much of the current Cleethorpes constituency (71,628)
• Grimsby (58,997) and Cleethorpes (70,557) to be merged (77,050)

Lincolnshire

• Part of South Kesteven (around 11 wards) to become part of Rutland and Stamford (70,895)
• Gainsborough loses part of Wragby to Louth and Horncastle (74,332 – 74,750)
• Louth and Horncastle’s boundaries will see Chapel Orby and East Kirkby moved into Boston and Skegness (74,617 – 73,791)
• Boston and Skegness will move back from Boston West, Brothertoft, Algarkirk, Holland Fen into new South Lincs constituency (66,250 – 71,680)
• South Holland and Deepings to be replaced with South Lincolnshire, boundary will move back from Market Deeping, Deeping St James, West Deeping area (74,332 – 71,363)
• Grantham and Stamford (77,983) will be split in around half as part of the new Rutland and Stamford proposals
• Instead, a new Grantham Constituency (72,071) will be created taking the lower third of the current Sleaford and North Hykeham constituency., with its borders moving north to the west of East Heckington, taking in Silk Willoughby, Wilsford, Sudbook, Fulbeck and Fenton.
• Sleaford and North Hykeham itself will see its Western, Northern and Eastern borders remain pretty much the same, though its electorate will go from 86,652 to 73,380
• Lincoln would remain pretty much exactly the same, except a small square of land between Somerton Gate Lane and Lowfields Farm to the south leaving the Sleaford constituency. Its electorate at that point will be 74,128.

The proposals are now out for public consultation until August 2, 2021.

The new Rutland and Stamford constituency and the wards it includes.

An  interactive consultation website – www.bcereviews.org.uk – shows the changes in more detail.

A further round of consultations is set to take place in spring 2022 following which final consultations will run that autumn.

To have your say, click here