What are the Norfolk and Suffolk election boundary changes?

A shake-up of the region's political boundary means a number of areas have been shifted into different parliamentary constituencies.

The most obvious change has been the creation of the new cross-county Waveney Valley seat, but a number of other towns and villages have also been switched.

Wymondham (Image: Mike Page)

It means voters in places such as Ashill, Banham, Barford, Bungay, Bunwell, Diss, Drayton, Gunthorpe, Pentney, Snetterton, Terrington St John, Thursford, West Walton, Wighton and Wymondham have moved into different constituencies.

WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED? 

The parliamentary constituencies have been redrawn due to the 2023 Boundary Review.

The Boundary Commission for England – an independent public body - made recommendations, which were agreed by the government.

Constituency boundaries are reviewed periodically to make sure constituencies are all roughly a similar size and respect local ties between areas.

Constituencies must have populations within 5pc of the ‘electoral quota’ of 73,393.

Of the nine existing constituencies in Norfolk, three (Great Yarmouth, North West Norfolk, and Norwich South) were within the permitted electorate range.

Two (Norwich North and North Norfolk) were below, and four (Broadland, Mid Norfolk, South Norfolk, and South West Norfolk) were above.

Changes have been made to address that, with the creation of the new Waveney Valley constituency the most significant change.

WHAT HAS CHANGED? 

The new Waveney Valley seat comprises places which used to be in the South Norfolk, Waveney, Suffolk Coastal and Central Suffolk and North Ipswich constituencies.

The Waveney Valley constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

As well as Diss, the new constituency includes Bunwell, Ditchingham, Bressingham, Pulham Market, Dickleburgh, Harleston, Bungay, Halesworth and Eye.

Diss (Image: Archant Norfolk Photographic © 2015)

The Boundary Commission received more than 80 representations about that constituency, with "the majority, by far, in opposition", but stuck with the changes.

The Lowestoft constituency (Image: Boundary Commission for England)

Beccles, which was in the old Waveney constituency, is not in the new Waveney Valley constituency.

It goes into the newly-named Lowestoft seat.

Drayton (Image: Denise Bradley)

The Broadland and Fakenham constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

Other changes mean Drayton moves from Broadland into the Norwich North constituency.

The Norwich North constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

Mousehold Street in Norwich (Image: Denise Bradley)

A handful of roads which were in Norwich South, including Mousehold Street, Cannell Green and Heathgate have moved into North North.

Norwich South constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

At one point there was a proposal to move Fakenham from Broadland into North Norfolk.

The North Norfolk constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

That was scrapped, but the Broadland constituency has been renamed Broadland and Fakenham to reflect how the town is not covered by Broadland District Council.

But some former Broadland villages, such as Thursford, Wighton and Gunthorpe, have moved into North Norfolk.

The Mid Norfolk constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

Wymondham has moved from Mid Norfolk seat to South Norfolk, but Barford has gone the other way.

Banham, Snetterton, Great Hockham and East Wretham have transferred out of South West Norfolk and into Mid Norfolk.

The South Norfolk constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

The village of Pentney has swapped over from North West Norfolk to South West Norfolk, while Ashill and North Pickenham have gone to South West Norfolk from Mid Norfolk.

The South West Norfolk constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

Pentney has moved constituencies (Image: Newsquest)

Walsoken, West Walton, Walpole Highway and Terrington St John, have been switched from South West Norfolk to North West Norfolk.

The North West Norfolk constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

A proposal to transfer Stalham and Hickling from the North Norfolk seat to Great Yarmouth, which the Boundary Commission, said it had received the most Norfolk representations about, was ditched.

The Great Yarmouth constituency (Image: Boundary Commission)

READ MORE: General election 2024: Norfolk and Waveney candidate list

WHAT WILL IT MEAN? 

Some of the changes are likely to have very little impact on the results of the July 4 general election.

But the creation of the new Waveney Valley constituency could make for a fascinating fight for that seat.

The Greens have targeted that constituency, having made significant in-roads in recent local elections.

But the Conservatives remain confident loyal blue voters will see them to victory.

Richard Bacon (Image: Archant)

The changes also make South Norfolk, where long-standing MP Richard Bacon is not standing, intriguing.

The Conservatives will hope to hold the seat, but they lost 11 seats in the South Norfolk Council elections in 2023.

They then lost overall control of the council after a by-election win for the Greens earlier this year, although they still lead the authority.

Norfolk and Suffolk voters are affected by the Boundary Commission changes (Image: PA)

Labour won eight South Norfolk Council seats in last year's local elections, while the Liberal Democrats have 11 councillors.