VOTE: MP says East Worthing and Shoreham name change is ‘pointless’

AN MP has said he cannot understand the thinking behind a proposed name change for his constituency.

Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, was told on Monday the Boundary Commission was putting forward a proposal to rename the area he is responsible for.

Yet the new title will just involve swapping the names around so that it reads Worthing East and Shoreham.

This week, Mr Loughton said: “It is all semantics.

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“Just to change the east from before to after just seems rather pointless.”

And he emphasised there would be no boundary change if the new name was given the go-ahead.

“Not a single constituent is leaving me,” he said.

Mr Loughton said he could not understand why the commission was bothering to change the name, especially as the name is based on historical reasons.

Historically, due to the majority of his area coming under Adur District Council the east comes before the title whereas if the bulk of the constituency was made up of a borough council the east would come after the name.

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This can be seen with Sir Peter Bottomley’s constituency where the majority of his area comes under Worthing Borough Council’s mandate and therefore his constituency is called Worthing West.

It is not known how expensive the name change will be but the cost of changing the letter heads and official documents will fall onto the MP and increase his expenses claim for stationery.

The changes are all part of the Boundary Commission for England’s 2013 review which is now out for consultation and will not come into force until the next General Election.

Anyone with objections to the proposals may make their views known by visiting www.consultation.boundary

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comissionforengland.independent.gov.uk or writing directly to the Boundary Commission for England.

Do you agree with the constituency name change? Cast your vote in the panel to the right of the screen, and leave your comments below.