WORCESTERSHIRE could lose a Parliamentary seat under radical plans to reform the voting system and the size of areas MPs are responsible for.

Major boundary alterations could change the face of the county’s political map dramatically if the Government were to press ahead with controversial legislation to create constituencies of similar size.

The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill is seeking to reduce the number of seats in the House of Commons from 650 to 600 with a view to reducing the disparities between the size of seats.

A referendum is also due to be held on Thursday, May 5, on whether to change to an alternative voting system as opposed to the current first-pastthe- post system.

Research commissioned by the Electoral Reform Society and carried out by marketing company CACI has resulted in a new political map being drawn based on the projected number of people over the age of 18 in 2015 rather than the number of people currently registered to vote.

Plans to make each constituency’s population no more than five per cent more or less than the electoral quota for the UK were abandoned as the researchers said it was “impossible”.

As a result CACI’s map shows government minister Peter Luff’s Mid- Worcestershire seat could effectively be carved up and swallowed by other ‘new’ seats in the county.

The majority of his patch could be taken in by a proposed Bromsgrove and Droitwich constituency.

Bromsgrove is currently held by Conservative backbencher Sajid Javid MP, who himself could lose some wards to a proposed Redditch and Alvechurch seat.

Mr Luff, Conservative minister for defence equipment, support and technology, said this research was pure speculation. He said his understanding was that only one seat across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire would have to go.

“There are 100 different ways to cut this particular cake,” he said. “This is all very interesting but the right thing to do is wait to see what happens rather than speculating on endless lines on maps.” Robin Walker, Conservative MP for Worcester, could see his constituency area increase dramatically by taking in Tenbury Wells and wards in between such as Martley and even Teme Valley from North Herefordshire, but that would make his seat a Tory stronghold unlikely to fall in Labour’s hands ever again.

While West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin, Conservative, could lose some of her wards to the seats of Worcester and Tenbury Wells and one – Lindridge – to Kidderminster and Stourport-on- Severn, she might gain a chunk of Mr Luff’s. If this piece of research was used by government to map out parliamentary constituencies then there would be little change for Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier, also Conservative, who would gain three wards from Bromsgrove and the Lindridge ward to make up the Kidderminster and Stour-port-on-Severn seat.

The Redditch seat belonging to Karen Lumley MP, Conservative, could be expanded to take in wards from Bromsgrove but could also concede Inkberrow to the potential Bromsgrove and Droitwich seat. North H e r e f o r d s h i r e w o u l d become Leominster and Ledbury while Hereford and South Herefordshire would become Hereford and Ross-on-Wye.