Opposition to proposed boundary changes in Cornwall

Villages in Clay Country would be moved to the South East Cornwall constituency under Boundary Commission plans

Some Cornwall councillors will oppose proposals to change parliamentary boundaries which one says will "slice and dice" communities.

The Boundary Commission for England has proposed changes to parliamentary constituencies across the UK.

The new proposals have scrapped the previous suggestion of a "Devonwall" constituency which would straddle the border between Devon and Cornwall.

But the suggested plans have proved controversial.

Amongst the most contentious proposals are plans to shift some Clay Country villages out of the St Austell and Newquay constituency and move them into the South East Cornwall constituency.

There are also plans to place Threemilestone and Chacewater into the Camborne and Redruth constituency from Truro and Falmouth which have met opposition, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

A meeting of the council's constitution and governance committee yesterday heard from Dick Cole, leader of Mebyon Kernow and councillor for St Dennis and St Enoder in Clay Country.

He urged the council to ensure it made a strong representation at a hearing in Exeter next week.

Cornwall Council has come up with a series of alternatives to the Boundary Commission proposals.

Mr Cole said: "The Boundary Commission came up with a proposal to slice and dice Clay Country.

"We are hoping that they will agree to put it back together again. It is quite reassuring that the representations from elsewhere (in the consultation) were very consistent with what we have done for Clay Country.

"I think it is very important that officers go and speak to show how serious we think the issues are, particularly in Clay Country."