A DRASTIC shake-up of parliamentary boundaries could see Dursley, Cam and Wotton sharing an MP with Thornbury and Yate.

Final recommendations for the new parliamentary boundaries, which aim to cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600, have been published this week.

If brought into effect, Dursley, Cam and Wotton-under-Edge will be moved out of the Stroud constituency and become part of Thornbury and Yate.

It has been suggested that the name of the constituency be changed to Dursley, Thornbury and Yate.

The towns are currently represented by Labour MP David Drew, but in the future they would be part of a constituency which at this time is represented by Conservative MP Luke Hall.

There are concerns amongst Labour supporters that taking Dursley, Cam and Wotton out of the Stroud constituency would severely compromise the Labour majority in the area.

Councillor Doina Cornell has warned that the plans will “disconnect voters from local democracy”.

She made the comment following the publication of the Boundary Commission’s final recommendation on how the UK should be divided up when it comes to vote in the next scheduled general election in 2022.

Cllr Cornell said: “The Boundary Commission’s proposals to move Cam and Dursley voters into a new constituency make no sense to local people, who have far stronger links with the other market towns of the Stroud Valleys than south towards Thornbury and Yate.

“If these proposals go ahead, the new constituency will be a real mess, cutting across county borders as well as being part in and part out of the West of England combined authority.

“I’m afraid all it will do is disconnect voters from local democracy at a time when we want people to engage.”

The Boundary Commission proposals still need to secure the backing of MPs and peers before being implemented. David Drew, MP for Stroud, told the Gazette that he was disappointed by the recommendations. “Dursley and Cam have always culturally been part of the Stroud district and part of our valleys and vale community,” he said.

“It will damage community cohesion to separate them from Stroud.

“I am also concerned about the impact of the proposals on our democracy.

"Plans to cut the number of MPs by 50, with no plans to also reduce the number of Ministers, means the Government is weakening the role of Parliament.

“Cutting the number of MPs at a time when Parliament will be dealing with complex legislation and a full agenda is not good for democracy.

“I would urge the Government to halt these changes.”

Geoff Wheeler, of Cam, Dursley and Berkeley Labour Party, said: “Putting Cam and Dursley in with a Thornbury MP, while Berkeley and Uley stay represented by the Stroud MP, makes no sense geographically or numerically.”

Siobhan Baillie, the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Stroud, said: “While it’s right that we have a fair voting system with equally-sized constituencies across the UK – drawn up by an independent body and where everyone’s vote carries the same weight – I would be very sad to lose Cam and Dursley from the Stroud constituency.”