Fewer MPs and a new voting system proposed by UK Government Bill

The number of MPs representing Wales in the House of Commons could be cut by a quarter under new proposals put forward by the UK Government. The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill was published before the summer break and sets out proposals to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600 by making changes to constituency boundaries and new rules over the number of people in each constituency. The aim is to ensure that all constituencies represent roughly the same proportion of the population. The Bill does not state exactly how the proposals will affect Wales’ representation in the Commons but based on the proposals it is estimated that Wales’ number of MPs could drop to 30 from the current 40. It is also possible that this legislation will mean that different constituency boundaries will exist for electing MPs to Westminster and electing AMs to the National Assembly.

The Bill also contains proposals for a referendum on changing the voting system that we use to elect MPs to Westminster from the current "first-past-the-post" system to the Alternative Vote. This is considered a more proportional form of representation and involves voters ranking candidates in order of preference rather than just selecting one candidate. The proposed referendum on this issue is due to be held on 5 May 2011 – this is currently the same date set for the National Assembly elections. There is currently some debate over how desirable it is to hold these two votes on the same day given that the referendum is about how we vote in future elections to the UK Parliament and does not affect the voting system for the National Assembly elections. Some feel this will cause confusion but others feel that holding the votes together will increase turnout and save money.

More information on the Bill can be found here.

Organisations and individuals across Wales are currently being asked for their views on these proposals by the Welsh Affairs Select Committee. The Committee aims to ensure that the UK Government takes sufficient account of Wales’ interests in the decisions that it makes. They are keen to hear views on the possible reduction in the number of MPs; the implications of constituency boundary changes and the timing of the referendum on the Alternative Vote. More information can be found here and the deadline for comments is 17 September.

WCVA's Voices for Change Cymru project will be responding to the committee inquiry and we’d welcome your views to inform our response. Please send any views to us at vfcc@wcva.org.uk or feel free to email us with any questions about the proposals or the committee inquiry.