Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2006-04-07 06:30:56 - Graham Ellis
We may be set to loose most of the already limited train service through Melksham, but it looks like we'll be getting a brand new MP at the next General Election.
The Boundary Commission reported - as long ago as 2001 - that an extra constituency should be added to Wiltshire due to the increasing population; I've put up details here. Most of the changes are around the Chippenham area, where a new seat grabs elements from North Wilts, Devizes and Westbury.
I'm predicting that the political organisations and incumbent MPs in Westbury, Devizes and North Wilts will stick with the seats they're already occupying, and we'll see a brand new organisation covering Bradford on Avon, Melksham, Corsham and Chippenham which are the four major towns in the new constituency.
I'm not one to advocate change for changes sake, but the plans might turn out to be rather good for Chippenham and Melksham. The current North Wilts MP is very much a countryside person and the town of Chippenham doesn't always seem to come at the top of his agenda. Likewise, Melksham really doesn't seem to "fit" in with Marlborough and Devizes with their rolling downs, wide open spaces and much higher lifestyle. All three of the existing constituencies have populations of over 80000 for their MPs to cover, and the new is around 65000.