A new constituency is set to be forged for Clacton.

Planners at the Boundary Commission today unveiled their proposals to overhaul the electoral map of mid and north Essex.

Clacton currently comes under the Harwich constituency held by Labour's Ivan Henderson.

Under the proposals, a new Clacton County seat would be created, covering 65,999 people.

It would include 21 of the Tendring wards, including Frinton, Holland and Kirby, Little Clacton and Weeley, St Osyth and Point Clear and Walton.

The Harwich seat would then be expanded southwards to take in nine wards in the Colchester district.

It would include Dedham, Langham, Wivenhoe and West Mersea as well as various parts of the Tendring district, such as Alresford, Great Bentley, Elmstead and Great Bromley.

The new-look Harwich seat would cover a population of 67,715 people.

Mr Henderson today said: "Everybody will be looking at these proposals before forming an opinion."

The reason for the changes is that populations in different constituencies now differ widely and forced the need to create the brand new Clacton County seat.

The proposals will help make sure every constituency in Essex now has similar numbers of people within them.

Published Thursday, May 1, 2003

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