Hampstead and Highgate may return as a single constituency under boundary changes, but proposals may "dilute the voice of Haringey", according to one MP.
The Boundary Commission for England has published revised proposals for constituencies across the UK with a final consultation giving the public a last opportunity
to send in their views before December 5.
Under the proposals, Sir Keir Starmer MP's seat Holburn and St Pancras will remain, but he will lose Highgate and Kentish Town North wards to the new Hampstead and Highgate constituency.
Tulip Siddiq's seat will no longer include Kilburn, which could move to Queen's Park and Little Venice which also includes Maida Vale and Abbey Road, currently in Karen Buck's Westminster North.
The report says: "In the north of the borough of Camden, we received strong opposition from local residents regarding our proposed Camden Town and St John’s Wood
constituency, and our proposed West Hampstead and Kilburn constituency, on the grounds that our initial proposals would divide the close-knit Hampstead community and create somewhat incoherent new constituencies with limited community relationships."
The commission received around 80 representations opposing initial proposals and supporting the Conservative Party's counter-proposal for a constituency that would include the whole Hampstead area and span Hampstead Heath to also include Highgate.
The former Hampstead and Highgate consituency existed from 1983 to 2010.
Hampstead Heath is seen as a "unifier rather than a divider", according to the report. Assistant commissioners noted the comments from former Hampstead Town councillor Oliver Cooper, "who pointed out that Hampstead and Highgate developed similarly as urban villages with strong commuting links to central London – therefore sharing a similar history – and that the two areas share the Ham&High local newspaper".
Commissioners considered that the B519 provides a key linking route along the north of the Heath.
Ms Siddiq said: "I am very proud of the constituents I already represent, and I would of course like to keep representing them in Parliament as I have done since I was first elected in 2015.
"There are many stages to this important democratic process, and I will continue to work constructively with the Boundary Commission to ensure that our local communities in both Hampstead and Kilburn can be best represented in Parliament."
A spokesperson for Sir Keir's office said he thanked the commission for their work.
They added: "We will now review the revised proposals and engage constructively with the next phase of the consultation process."
Catherine West MP's Hornsey and Wood Green constituency would be split between three separate constituencies - Hornsey and Friern Barnet, Southgate and Wood Green, and Hampstead and Highgate.
Crouch End, Muswell Hill, Alexandra Park Fortis Green and Hornsey would fall under Hornsey and Friern Barnet.
The Labour MP said she is "particularly concerned" about removing Wood Green from her constituency.
“I don’t believe the latest Boundary Commission plans are right for our area, as they dilute Haringey’s voice in Parliament and uproot Wood Green, the civic heart of Haringey," she said.
"It’s radically different plan to the last proposals and I’d urge everyone to take part in the consultation to make sure the voice of Haringey is heard.”
She has written to the commission, telling it that the proposal would be "a serious mistake, with Wood Green as the civic capital of Haringey, where both births and deaths may be registered, and on the basis that it would make no sense from a community point of view to uproot it and put it into an Enfield seat".
She said based on the current proposed boundaries MPs would have to "engage with different councils, different support services, different borough police commanders, many NHS bodies, and a plethora of different issues in pursuit of effectively representing their constituents".
Hampstead Garden Suburb, Golders Green, Cricklewood, Church Hill and East Finchley would remain in Finchley and Golders Green.
Mike Freer MP said: “I welcome the latest proposals made by the Boundary Commission. In the representations I made during the consultation, I argued that it was crucial to keep our communities here in Finchley and Golders Green together. I am pleased that they have listened and these latest proposals”.
Visit https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/2023-review/ for the consultation.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here