The Barking parliamentary constituency would be reduced under new proposals.
The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has published its initial proposals to redraw England’s electoral map as part of a 2023 review, with the public now invited to provide feedback as part of an eight-week consultation process.
Under the proposals, the borough would continue to be represented by two MPs in the constituencies of Barking and of Dagenham and Rainham, but the boundaries would be redrawn.
The Valence ward would switch from Barking to be part of the Dagenham and Rainham constituency in place of the Chadwell Heath ward, which would be included in an extended Ilford South.
The shake-up aims to make constituencies more equal in terms of the number of voters, following a review in Parliament last year.
Each constituency is legally required to have between 69,724 and 77,062 electors.
The electorate in the existing Barking constituency, represented by MP Margaret Hodge, is above the permitted range so needs to be adjusted.
Dagenham and Rainham, represented by MP Jon Cruddas, falls within the permitted range so could theoretically remain unchanged.
However, it needs to be reconfigured to accommodate necessary changes in surrounding constituencies, which fall outside the permitted range.
Tim Bowden, secretary to the BCE, said: "These proposals mark the first time people get to see what the new map of parliamentary constituencies might look like.
"But they are just the commission’s initial thoughts. Help us draw the line to make the number of electors in each parliamentary constituency more equal.”
The BCE says the rules mean wide scale change is inevitable.
Under the proposals, just under 10 per cent of the existing 533 English constituencies remain unchanged.
The public is asked to visit www.bcereviews.org.uk to view maps of the proposed new boundaries and provide feedback by August 2, when the consultation closes.
People can comment on anything from where the proposed new boundary lines are to the names of the constituencies.
This feedback is due to be published early next year before further consultation.
The BCE must submit a final report and recommendations to the Speaker of the House of Commons by July 1, 2023.
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