Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000

Functions of Boundary Committees

3 After section 3 there shall be inserted—

“3A Reviews and proposed recommendations by Boundary Committees

(1) Where the Electoral Commission intend to consider making a report under this Act (“the section 3 report”) with respect to—

(a) a particular part of the United Kingdom, or

(b) any area comprised in a particular part of the United Kingdom,

the Boundary Committee for that part of the United Kingdom shall (subject to subsection (4) below) carry out a review in accordance with this Act for the purpose of enabling them to submit to the Electoral Commission proposals as to the recommendations to be included in the section 3 report.

(2) Once the Boundary Committee have carried out a review under subsection (1) above, they shall accordingly submit to the Electoral Commission a report containing the recommendations which the Committee propose should be included in the section 3 report in the light of the review.

(3) Where the Electoral Commission have received a report of a Boundary Committee under subsection (2) above, the Commission may—

(a) accept in full the proposed recommendations contained in that report and include them in the section 3 report;

(b) accept those proposed recommendations subject to modifications agreed with the Committee and include them, as so modified, in the section 3 report;

(c) reject those proposed recommendations and either—

(i) require the Committee to reconsider their proposed recommendations with a view to deciding whether to submit a further report under subsection (2) above containing different proposed recommendations,

(ii) require the Committee to carry out a fresh review under subsection (1) above with respect to the whole, or any specified part, of the area which was the subject of the original review, or

(iii) (in the case only of a review carried out for the purposes of a report under section 3(3) above) take no further action.

(4) A Boundary Committee shall, in or in connection with the exercise or performance of their powers or duties under this Act, comply with any directions given to them by the Commission (so far as consistent with the rules set out in paragraphs 1 to 6 of Schedule 2 to this Act (read with paragraph 7)).

(5) In this Act—

(a) “Boundary Committee” means a Boundary Committee established by the Electoral Commission under section 14 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000; and

(b) “recommendations” includes (unless the context otherwise requires) a recommendation that no alteration is required.”