VOTERS in the Forest will again return an MP for West Gloucestershire if proposals for a shake-up of constituency boundaries are accepted.

Meanwhile, across the border, one MP will be returned for the whole of Monmouthshire.

The proposals by the Boundary Commission nationally would mean the number of MPs being reduced from 650 to 600.

The new West Gloucestershire would be made up of all the wards in the Forest of Dean District Council area along with one from Tewkesbury district.

The constituency covering the Forest was called West Gloucestershire un­til the 1992 General Election.

The new constituency would have an electorate of 72,354 of which 94.8 per cent would live in Forest wards.

The traditional Labour stronghold of Newport East is among 11 Welsh seats that would disappear.

The seat included parts of Monmouthshire including Caldicot, Rogiet and Magor which would transfer to the new seat of Monmouthshire.

The current Monmouth seat has been held by the Conservatives since 2005.

Under the proposals, parts of Cwmbran that were in the Monmouth seat would be moved.

The Ross area will remain in the Hereford and South Herefordshire seat which is currently held by Jesse Norman for the Conservatives.

The changes will take place if they are approved by Parliament in two years’ time.