As the number of MP's is set to be reduced to 600, it has been announced that the north-west will have 7 fewer Members of Parliament at the next general election. The current range in electorate across the region is huge; one MP has 87,339 electors whereas another as few as 54,232 - a massive 33,107 difference, yet the vote of MP in the House of Commons carries the same weight.
Now new rules mean that the target size of each constituency shall be within the range of 71,031 and 78,507, the target being 74,769 meaning that each MP's vote in the House of Commons will be broadly carry the same authority.
Chorley's electorate is currently within the acceptable range at 73,323, 1,446 (1.93%) fewer than the target.
The Boundary Commission writes
"The new stricter limits on the size of the electorate in each constituency and the reduction in the number of seats will mean that the majority of existing constituencies are likely to have to change to some extent. It also means fewer options for creating constituencies than in previous reviews."
They add that work on the 2013 Review will not inform the outcome of this new review.
The first draft proposals will be announced in September this year, with the final outcome, after rounds of consultation, in 2018.