East of England to get three extra MPs at Westminster in review of constituencies
A major review of parliamentary seats across the country will result in three additional constituencies being created in the East of England.
The region currently has 58 MPs but will have 61 at the next General Election, which is scheduled for May 2024.
The increasing population in the East of England means new constituencies will be re-drawn as boundaries are reviewed over the next couple of years. The aim is to roughly equalise the number of voters each MP represents.
Across England, 10 new constituencies will be created with each seat having between nearly 70,000 and 77,000 voters.
Currently the number of voters in existing constituencies in the Anglia region range from the highest in Milton Keynes South with 96,500 down to roughly 59,000 in Northampton North.
Parliamentary boundary reviews are conducted roughly every decade to ensure population changes are taken into account. The last time the constituencies changed was at the 2010 election.
There has been delay in implementing new constituencies since 2010 because the original plan was to reduce the total number of MPs from 650 to 600. Now the UK has left the European Union, the government has decided the extra workload for the UK parliament means it will need to retain 650 MPs.
The Boundary Commission for England will review the current constituencies and will consult on new proposed boundaries before July 2023.
Tim Bowden, secretary to the Boundary Commission for England, said: "Today marks the start of our work to review the constituency boundaries in England.
"Parliament has set strict rules on greater equality of electorate size between the new constituencies - these rules and the increase in total number of constituencies in England mean that there is likely to be a large degree of change across the country."
Mr Bowden said a first draft of proposals will be published in the summer, and a public consultation will follow to ensure that the plans "take account of local ties and best reflect the geography on the ground".
The Anglia region also includes parts of the East Midlands and the South East with constituencies in Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Milton Keynes.
The East Midlands will increase from 46 to 47 constituencies and the South East will gain an additional eight constituencies.