THE Herefordshire Green Party has called for the county to retain two MPs, instead of being split into three under proposals outlined by the Boundary Commission.

The party has said the changes are ‘harmful' to Herefordshire and that there are better alternatives, while asking for a ‘complete overhaul of the UK's unfair electoral system’.

The Boundary Commission’s current proposals for new, larger constituencies mean North Herefordshire faces major changes – some voters will be moved to the Hereford and South Herefordshire constituency while others will become part of a new ‘Ludlow and Leominster’ constituency.

There will also be some who find themselves sharing an MP with parts of Worcestershire in a new ‘Malvern and Ledbury’ constituency.

The Greens say they strongly support the idea that everyone’s vote should have equal weight, but are concerned that the current proposals for Herefordshire don’t give enough consideration to some key factors – including county boundaries, the geographical size, the small population and rural nature of Herefordshire.

The Greens' alternative proposal, put forward to BCE, is that every voter in the county should continue to be in one of two constituencies – the north or the south.

Just one ward would need to move from North Herefordshire to the Hereford and South Herefordshire constituency to make it big enough, while the North Herefordshire constituency could be expanded to meet the minimum size requirement by including some wards from north-western Malvern Hills District.

Felicity Norman, Chairman of North Herefordshire Green Party, said: “It simply doesn’t make sense for our county to be split into three constituencies when it has fewer electors than are needed for two.

"The Boundary Commission is proposing changes for us that are more significant than for any other area in the West Midlands, and which mean that the interests of Shropshire and Worcestershire would dominate over those of North Herefordshire for the new MPs.

"We think Herefordshire needs two MPs that pay proper attention to Herefordshire issues."

The boundary changes do not change the first-past-the-post electoral system, which determines who sits as an MP.

Diana Toynbee, Green Party parliamentary candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire, added: "We are not against electoral reform – quite the opposite.

"The Brexit referendum result showed that many people in this country feel that their voices are not heard in parliament.

"It's scandalous that under our first-past-the-post system, parties which get millions of votes can end up with virtually no MPs. We are being governed by a party which only 24% of the electorate voted for. Tinkering with electoral boundaries is a waste of time while the basic system is so badly flawed."

The Green Party is calling for a complete overhaul of the UK's unfair electoral system, including the introduction of proportional representation so that parliament accurately reflects the votes cast by the electorate, a position with which the Liberal Democrats and many in Labour agree.

The party has also long campaigned for an elected and smaller House of Lords and an end to the appointment of Lords by the Prime Minister.