MP for the Ludlow Constituency, Philip Dunne has commented on the  latest proposals from the Boundary Commission to increase the size of the Ludlow constituency and change its name.

The Parliamentary Boundary Review Commission for England have today published their revised proposals for the Ludlow Constituency in South Shropshire.

Commenting on the proposals, Philip Dunne said:

“Today's proposals confirm the initial suggestion from this review, to increase the constituency by some 100 square miles, taking in two large rural wards to the north of the present boundary, namely Burnell and Severn Valley from the Shrewsbury & Atcham constituency, adding some 7,500 voters to take the constituency to within the band around 75,000 voters per constituency.

“While I am saddened to see the historic name of the constituency of ‘Ludlow’, in use in Parliament since the first inception of Ludlow town as a ‘parliamentary borough’ in 1473 and the modernised Parliamentary Constituency since 1885, changed, I think it now makes sense to rename the constituency 'South Shropshire’, which better reflects the proposed geography.

“These proposals will increase the geographic scale of the constituency to some 700 square miles. It already stretches from some 35 miles along the Welsh Border to the west and as far east as to within six miles of Wolverhampton city centre. The South Shropshire constituency will now reach as far north as the edge of Shrewsbury by including Burnell and Severn Valley wards. The southern boundary with Worcestershire and Herefordshire will remain undisturbed.

“South Shropshire is a more suitable name with which everyone can identify within the new constituency.”