via email:  reviews@lgbce.org.uk

29^thNovember 2011

Dear Sirs,

Re:   2013 Review of Parliamentary constituencyboundaries

At a recent meeting of the above-mentionedresidents' association I was asked to submit our opposition to the BoundaryCommission's proposal to move Stroud Green ward from the Parliamentaryconstituency of Hornsey & Wood Green to Tottenham for the following reasons:

• the obvious physical/psychological boundarybetween Stroud Green ward and the Tottenham Parliamentary constituency is theNorth/South Kings Cross to Edinburgh railway line.  There are few physical links between Stroud Green and theTottenham constituency.  There isonly one road link (Endymion Road) and a pedestrian path over the line at HarringayStation.  It was for this reasonthat Harringay ward moved into the Tottenham constituency when Hornsey &Wood Green was created.
• the BCE notes that wards are well-defined andwell-understood units which are generally indicative of areas which have abroad community of interest.  Thereare strong local cultural and socio/economic ties between Stroud Green, HornseyVale and Crouch End that would inevitably be broken and diluted by changes tothe constituency boundary.  Residentsin the Stroud Green ward identify strongly with the communities of Crouch Endto the West; children are at school either in the ward or in the West of theBorough of Haringey; residents tend to use the shopping facilities of StroudGreen to the South or Crouch End to the West; residents' associations and localgroups are very much engaged with those in the West of the borough.
• the local Church of England parish, the boundaries of which correspond fairly closely to those of the ward, is part ofthe West Haringey Deanery Synod and has historically strong links with the parishes of Holy Innocent, Hornsey and St. Mary with St. George (Hornsey).
• it is appreciated that the BCE has the task of reducing the number of constituencies and to even out elector numbers to createviable constituencies.  However we would like to suggest that leaving Stroud Green ward in the Hornsey & Wood Green constituency (8,196 voters) and including Noel Park ward (geographicallyand culturally closer with no physical boundary) in the Tottenham constituency(7,866 voters), leaves the two constituencies at totals of Hornsey & Wood Green 79,924 voters and Tottenham 79,285 voters.  Noel Park also includes the Haringey Heartlands Development so the electoral roll will inevitably increase.  Tottenham, as a slightly smaller constituency than Hornsey & Wood Green, could therefore better absorb the increase in voters.

Although last week's meeting onlyrepresented a small percentage of the total number of local members, it was100% unanimous in its agreement to oppose the BCE proposal.  In my capacity as chair of theorganisation I can also state that I have spoken to many residents and receivedemails confirming that the greater majority wholly agrees with the motion ofthe meeting.