LIKE most citizens of Gloucester City and the Forest of Dean, as representatives of the Labour Party in Gloucestershire, we deplore the proposal of the Boundary Commission to tear the City (Westgate ward) out of the Gloucester Constituency and move it to the Forest of Dean. The proposal comes from the Coalition Government plan to create constituencies on strictly numerical criteria irrespective of community boundaries and affiliations. We will vigorously oppose these proposals.

We challenge Richard Graham, the Tory MP for Gloucester and Mark Harper, who is not only the MP for the Forest of Dean but the minister responsible for this debacle, to bring forward proposals which would retain the integrity of the City within the Gloucester constituency.

If these proposals do not conform to the strict government guidelines for the review they will of course reveal the underlying intention of the Government to gerrymander the electoral system in their favour.

Steve McHale - leader Gloucestershire County Council Labour Group, Bruce Hogan - chairman Gloucestershire County Labour Party and Chairman of Forest of Dean Labour Party, John Hurley - secretary Gloucestershire County Labour Party