Changes to East Sussex's Parliamentary boundaries to go before public again

Last year the Boundary Commission for England published initial proposals for the country’s new political map. As Sussex would have an extra seat, an East Grinstead & Uckfield constituency was put forward, covering Ditchling, Plumpton, Isfield, Chailey, Newick, Wivelsfield, Crawley Down, Scaynes Hill, Ardingly, Balcombe, Handcross and Pease Pottage.

A Hailsham and Crowborough constituency would include Heathfield and Wadhurst.

Meanwhile the Lewes constituency would gain Laughton, Upper Dicker, Jevington, Wannock, part of Willingdon, Stone Cross and Hankham.

Hastings and Rye would lose Westfield, Three Oaks, Broad Oak, Udimore and Cock Marling to Bexhill and Battle.

But it would also gain Peasmarsh and Rye Foreign from its neighbouring constituency.

While a number of big changes to the initial proposals have been made in West Sussex, revisions in East Sussex have been relatively minor.

Hartfield would be part of Hailsham & Crowborough instead of East Grinstead & Uckfield.

The public can now have a final say on the proposals at bcereviews.org.uk until December 5.

During the last round of consultation a number of residents in Chailey, Barcombe and Hamsey; Ditchling and Westmeston; Newick; Plumpton, Streat, East Chiltington & St. John; and Wivelsfield expressed a desire to stay in a Lewes seat.

But the commissioners considering the principle of the initially proposed East Grinstead & Uckfield represented the best cross-county boundary constituency ‘despite the dissatisfaction expressed in representations received from villages north of Lewes’.

There was some dissatisfaction from Lower Willingdon and Upper Willingdon wards, which would be removed from the Eastbourne constituency, but the BCE said those residents who recognised that some change was necessary in order to bring the constituency within the permitted electorate range supported pairing Willingdon with Polegate in the proposed Lewes constituency.

There were relatively few representations received in the constituencies of Bexhill and Battle, and Hastings and Rye, although the majority were supportive of the minor changes to both in the initial proposals.

A change in the name of the proposed Hailsham & Crowborough seat to ‘Sussex Weald’ was accepted by the commission.