Isle of Man electoral boundary review gets go ahead

The current system is based on 15 constituencies

A reform of the Isle of Man's electoral boundaries will be in place for the 2016 general election after changes were approved in Tynwald.

A series of recommendations was put forward for public scrutiny by the island's Boundary Review Commission.

The body recommended the current system of 24 political seats be more equally divided into 12 constituencies.

Under the new proposals, each of the 12 areas would be represented by two members of the House of Keys.

The current system is based on 15 constituencies, with Rushen and Onchan having three political members while the four Douglas constituencies and Ramsey have two.

Ayre, Castletown, Garff, Glenfaba, Michael, Peel, Malew and Santon, and Middle all have one.

The changes, which will be in place for the next general election in 2016, mean an end to a system in which some Manx residents get three votes and others get just one.

During the public consultation on the issue, the committee received 68 written responses.

Other feedback, said the review committee, came from meetings with 16 members of the House of Keys and five local authority representatives.