Representation of the People (Parliamentary Constituencies)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 26 Ionawr 1955.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Mr James Ede Mr James Ede , South Shields 12:00, 26 Ionawr 1955

This is all that is left of a very extensive series of alterations which were proposed in the County of Surrey, in which the eight constituencies that were first selected were to be made into nine. Now we have a position where two are to be made into three.

The original proposals were very complicated and intricate, and involved lopping wards off particular boroughs and adding them to others; dividing the borough of Beddington and Wallington into almost equal parts, putting one part with Mitcham and the other part with Carshalton. Considerable exception was taken to this proposal at the local inquiry. I understand that it was one of the fiercest of the local inquiries that were held, and the result was the alteration to the present proposals.

I cannot follow the logic of the arrangements which have now been made. Apparently the result of the inquiry was that it was decided that two of the existing municipal boroughs should be made into Parliamentary boroughs without any addition, and for that purpose Surbiton and Wimbledon were chosen. I cannot follow why Surbiton and Wimbledon should be chosen. I happen to be an honorary freeman of three Surrey boroughs. Wimbledon was the first borough to bestow the honorary freedom on me, then Epsom and Ewell, where I was born, and Mitcham, which I had the honour to represent in this House for a few months in 1923. I think that I can claim to know this area pretty well, having now lived there for over 70 years.

I should have thought that when the Boundary Commissioners were faced with this problem of having two new borough seats to distribute, they would have examined the electorates of the individual boroughs in the county. There are already two county districts which have a Member of Parliament without any addition of another county district; Sutton and Cheam, which had 59,483 electors in 1953, and Merton and Maiden Urban District, which had 55,474. Those are the two most populous county districts in the county.

The third most populous county district is Mitcham, which had 49,047 and the fourth is Epsom and Ewell, which had 44,936. Those were obviously the two at the head of the queue. Surbiton had only 44,481—I am quoting the 1953 figures—and Wimbledon, which had 43,980, is, in fact, seventh in the Order within the county.

Surbiton has 44,481 and Coulsdon and Purley have 44,385 and form, in fact, a growing county district, whereas Wimbledon is a declining county district. It had 43,980 in 1953 and 43,365 in 1954. I have not so much objection to Wimble- don getting a seat, but I cannot understand why Surbiton should get one. After all, Surbiton never made me a freeman, although I was not uninstrumental in getting it municipal borough powers. It comes behind Mitcham, which is a substantially bigger place, and also Epsom and Ewell.

I do not know how the minds of the Commissioners work when they get involved in problems of this sort, but it seems to me that the course which I have suggested would have been the proper one to pursue. I took the trouble to work out a scheme for the county whereby it would have been quite possible, without unduly increasing the size of any constituency, to arrange the county in such a way as to give the most populous districts the right to be represented by a Member of Parliament without the addition of wards from outside.

What happened at the inquiry undoubtedly affected the minds of the Commissioners, because they made a most substantial alteration—I think the most substantial made anywhere—as a result of that inquiry. I am bound to say that I cannot follow the logic which gives the less populous county districts the right to separate Parliamentary representation when places as well defined as Mitcham and Surbiton are passed over. In the recollection of having represented that town when it was part of a much wider constituency than it is even now, I think that we ought to have some explanation of how this result was arrived at.