Leigh to remain in Southend West? (From Echo)

Leigh to remain in Southend West?

3:30pm Thursday 18th October 2012 in Local News

A CONSTITUENCY which could have been torn in half by proposed boundary changes has been spared the axe.

The Boundary Commission has backtracked on plans to redraw most of the county’s political map, which included pushing Leigh into Castle Point.

It has instead accepted a suggestion from the Tories to keep the Parliamentary constituences largely the same, with the exception of a single ward being transferred in the centre of Southend and Pitsea South East becoming part of Castle Point.

A spokesman for the Boundary Commission said: “By far the most contentious of the commission’s proposals has been the movement of the Leigh and West Leigh wards from Southend West to Castle Point.

“We are of the view that, in terms of both local ties and natural geographical boundaries, Leigh has much more in common with Southend than it does with Castle Point.”