Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 27.1
Redistricting Sheffield
Figure 27.6A). Those six should be contiguous blocks
of territory, and each should have an electorate as
close as practicable to 65,753— the national electoral
quota. The Commission's provisional
recommendations (Figure 27.6B) allowed up to 10 per
cent variation around this norm.
How many ways could six contiguous constituencies have
been created out of the twenty-nine wards, within a 12 per
cent variation around the average? A computer algorithm
The size of the task faced by the UK Boundary
Commissions is illustrated by the city of Sheffield.
During its Third Periodic Review of all constituencies,
the Boundary Commission for England determined
that Sheffield should have six parliamentary
constituencies, which would be combinations of city
council wards (the commission always uses wards as
the building blocks for creating constituencies: the
wards, and their estimated Labour vote in 1979, are in
Figure 27.6
Redistricting
Sheffield: (A) the wards and
their political complexion
(estimated Labour support); (B)
the Boundary Commission's
provisional recommendations
for six constituencies; (C) the
Boundary Commission's final
recommendations.
Source:
Johnston and Rossiter
1982.
