Camberwell and Walworth residents say a possible rejig of London’s constituency boundaries will wipe their historic areas from the map.
The Boundary Commission’s 2023 review has proposed splitting Camberwell across three different constituencies and creating a new ‘Peckham’ constituency without Camberwell in its name.
Walworth would be divided in half, with Newington going to Vauxhall and North Walworth and Faraday going to Peckham.
Local organisations and residents have reacted angrily, with some fearing their areas will be ”eradicated” under the proposals.
Jordana Leighton, former Camberwell Business Marketeer who helped lead the high street recovery fund, said: “Our biggest concern is that Camberwell is at a disadvantage at the best of times because it straddles Lambeth and Southwark. We’ve never been classed a as major town centre making it harder for us to get awarded funding.
“This new proposal completely eradicates Camberwell from the agenda. Camberwell is not going to get a well-rounded strategy because we’ll have to answer to three MPs who might not have that much of an affinity with the area.”
Under the proposals, Camberwell Green would move to a reconstituted ‘Vauxhall’ constituency, Champion Hill to Dulwich and West Norwood, with St Giles going to the ‘Peckham’ Constituency.
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Independent of government, the Commission is responsible for reviewing parliamentary constituency boundaries across England.
All constituencies must have between 69,724 and 77,062 electors so, as populations change, boundaries must be periodically reshaped.
Nick Mair, Camberwell Society chair, told local publication Camberwell Quarterly: “Thanks to the voluntary bodies that work hard to improve life in our community, the name Camberwell means a lot. Remember, it featured in the Doomsday Book..”
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Harriet Harman, currently the MP for Camberwell and Peckham, is stepping down at the next election and some of the candidates vying to succeed her have expressed their opposition.
Miatta Fahnbulleh said “an arbitrary boundary through a community is the wrong call” while Peter Babudu said the changes would “carve up” the community.
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Proposed boundary changes have raised eyebrows elsewhere in Southwark, especially Walworth. There are fears that, given Walworth’s ongoing regeneration, which has been criticised by some, residents would suffer by having multiple MPs responsible for the area.
Neil Coyle, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, told the News: “The review ignores communities with Walworth getting split up sadly, despite all the change in the area and the need for a consistent voice.”
He also said the new Bermondsey and Old Southwark consituency, which would gain St George’s Ward, should have ‘Rotherhithe’ in its name “as it is also a distinct community deserving recognition”.
A Boundary Commission spokesperson said: “While the Commission must keep within the permitted electorate range when developing proposals for new constituency boundaries, we also take into account local geography, existing boundaries, and local ties – which is why the valuable feedback submitted by the public on our suggestions is so important. We now believe we are close to the best map of constituencies that can be achieved under the rules we are working to, and have asked members of the public to have a final say on our new proposals by 5 December.”
People have until December 5 to send comments to the Boundary Commission. They can comment online at: https://www.bcereviews.org.uk/ Alternatively, they can write letters to 35 Great Smith Street SW1P 3BQ.