The number of MPs in the county is to increase by one at the next election, with voters deciding who they want to represent them in 18 constituencies.

A review by the Boundary Commission for England has recommended changes so that they comply with rules stating that each constituency must have between 69,724 and 77,062 registered voters as at March 2020.

Thousands of people have commented on the original proposals for the shake-up - and the Commission has now made some tweaks, as outlined below...

New Weald of Kent seat

Largely because of population growth, the review has stuck by its recommendation that there should be a new Weald of Kent seat with an electorate of 70,362. It would incorporate Tenterden, Benenden, Cranbrook and two wards that were in Ashford, Staplehurst and Charing and Downs West wards.

The commission said the proposed Weald of Kent constituency was “largely well received, with comments highlighting the strengths of a constituency with a rural focus”.

One effect would be for the size of the electorate in Ashford reduced to 73,546 voters from 94,054, as it loses Tenterden but gains Hawkinge from Folkestone & Hythe.

The new seat would have an impact on the existing Maidstone and Weald seat held by Tory Helen Grant MP, which would lose some of its rural villages such as Headcorn, Marden and Yalding and be renamed Maidstone and Malling.

Faversham and Mid Kent

Changes to the Faversham and Mid Kent seat would create an electorate of 69,844 and would eliminate a situation whereby the constituency would be covered by three local councils.

However, the commission said it had received a larger degree of opposition to the proposed Faversham and Mid Kent constituency.

Objections centred on three wards in the existing Ashford constituency - Charing, Downs North, and Downs West - and plans to move them.

However, the commission said it was not possible to retain these in the redrawn map and as a result, maintained its proposal to place them in the new Weald of Kent seat.

Medway

In Medway, a change to the boundary of Chatham and Aylesford would see it lose Aylesford South and Ditton to Maidstone and Malling.

Additionally, a large area along City Way including Horsted, Rochester Airport, and Warren Wood, would go from being part of Rochester and Strood to Chatham and Aylesford.

Thanet

In other changes, the commission acknowledged that there had been opposition to re-naming two seats in Thanet.

Both Sir Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet and Craig Mackinlay, MP for South Thanet opposed the initial proposals and argued that the existing North and South Thanet constituencies should broadly stay as they were. There was also opposition to rename the two seats as East Thanet and West Thanet.

The commission said that in the case of West Thanet it was persuaded “that the name could be improved upon and therefore recommended changing the name of this constituency to Herne Bay and Sandwich”.

East Thanet would include the towns of Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate and have an electorate of 73,790.

What happens next?

After the latest round of consultation conducted by the Boundary Commission no changes were recommended to the Dover and Deal, Gillingham and Rainham, Gravesham and Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituencies as initially proposed in 2021.

A final period of consultation on the changes proposed is now underway and is open until December 5.

Redrawing the electoral map

• Each constituency recommended must contain no less than 69,724 Parliamentary electors, and no more than 77,062
• England will be allocated 543 constituencies for the new review
• An earlier review proposed axing the Faversham and Mid Kent seat but that was dropped
• Over the period of the review, 45,000 people have commented on the proposals
• Of the seats in the South East, the commission has revised the composition of 27 of the 91 constituencies
• The names of 19 of proposed constituencies have been changed
• The boundaries of 15 existing constituencies in the South East have stayed as they were