I NOTE from the review of Parliamentary Constituencies which is currently being undertaken by the Boundary Commission for England that it is proposed that Dursley be taken out of the Stroud Constituency and tacked on to the Thornbury and Yate Constituency.

It would seem that the reason for the displacement of Dursley in this fashion is to accommodate the removal of Quedgeley from the Gloucester Constituency and Quedgeley’s allocation to the Stroud Constituency!

Whoever is responsible for this game of Parliamentary musical chairs really does need to think again.

Detaching Dursley will mean that for Parliamentary purposes the town will be severed from the Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Gloucestershire Constabulary areas, and that it will be represented by an MP who is inevitably much more focused on the South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority and the Avon and Somerset Constabulary Area than on the Gloucestershire authorities applicable to Dursley, since these bodies will be responsible for the vast majority of his or her constituents.

Not much joined up thinking or joined up government there.

In the same way a future MP for Thornbury, Yate and Dursley will also be concentrating on issues concerning the Bristol (as opposed to the Gloucestershire) travel to work area, since this is what would be relevant to the bulk of South Gloucestershire residents represented by them.

Dursley has always been an historic part of Gloucestershire and must remain so.

We cannot allow a situation to be created in which our Member of Parliament is cut off in this way from what happens at Ebley Mill, Shire Hall and Waterwells.

I am sure that the residents of Quedgeley feel much the same way about the manner in which it is proposed that they be removed from Gloucester.

It is quite clear that this electoral gerrymandering is designed to improve the re-election prospects of Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire Conservative MPs rather than to benefit residents in either Dursley or Quedgeley.

I would urge all Dursley residents to visit the Boundary Commission for England’s website 2018.org.uk in order to register their objections to being treated in such a cynical and cavalier manner before the closing date of December 5, 2016.

Dean Turner UKIP Gloucestershire County Council candidate for Dursley