Boundary Commission propose transferring Mid Ulster wards

It is proposed to transfer a number of wards in the existing Mid Ulster constituency to the neighbouring constituencies of West Tyrone and Fermanagh South Tyrone.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Details of the plans , which are now out for public consultation, are contained in a new report by The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland (BCNI) outlining proposals for new UK Parliamentary constituency boundaries.

The initial report states the existing constituency of Mid Ulster has an electorate of 70,501, which is just within the statutory electorate range.

It reads : “In considering the need to satisfy the statutory electorate range in each constituency, and a balancing of factors (in particular, built-up areas such as around Dungannon), the wards of Killyman and Killymeal which are currently split between

“Mid Ulster and Fermanagh & South Tyrone have been aligned within Mid Ulster, together with the following whole wards which have been transferred from Fermanagh & South Tyrone to Mid Ulster: Ballysaggart, Moygashel and Mullaghmore.

“The adjacent constituency of West Tyrone has an electorate of 66,339 which is below the statutory range. In order to satisfy the statutory electorate range in West Tyrone constituency, and considering special geographical considerations (such as mountains)and the shape of constituencies, the whole wards of Donaghmore and Pomeroy are transferred from Mid Ulster to West Tyrone constituency.

“In considering a balancing of factors, in particular the shape of the constituency, the wards of Ballygawley and Castlecaulfield which are split between Mid Ulster and Fermanagh & South Tyrone have been aligned within Fermanagh & South Tyrone.”

The public consultation on the proposals is expected to take eight weeks.

Written representations must be received by the Commission by December 15 and can be submitted using the online portal, by email, or by post.

These representations will be published online after the end of the initial consultation period. This will be followed in due course by further consultations, including public hearings, before final recommendations are made by July 1 2023.

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.