THOUSANDS of Oxfordshire voters are set to be shunted from a Liberal Democrat constituency into a Tory or Labour one.

Most of West Oxford, including Botley Road, Jericho and Port Meadow, has been recommended to be moved from the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency into a new 'Oxford' one, extending the current Oxford East.

Under the current MPs, that would mean residents now living in a Lib Dem area would suddenly be living in a Labour area.

The villages of Appleton and Eaton just outside Oxford would be moved from Lib Dem Abingdon to Tory Wantage.

The changes have been recommended by the Boundary Commission for England, which is trying to make constituencies more representative.

OXFORD East constituency would be expanded west to include Botley Road, Jericho and Port Meadow (currently in Oxford West and Abingdon), and renamed Oxford

OXFORD WEST AND ABINGDON would be expanded in the south to include Marcham, Drayton and Milton (currently in Wantage) and in the north to include Weston-on-the-Green, Bletchingdon and Kirtlington (currently in Henley) and would be renamed Abingdon and Oxford North

WANTAGE would be expanded north to include Appleton and Eaton (currently in Oxford West and Abingdon)

HENLEY would be expanded to the south to include Long Wittenham (currently Wantage) and north to include areas around Bicester (currently in Banbury) and renamed East Oxfordshire

BANBURY would have the area to the south and east of Bicester cut from it

Labour county councillor for West Oxford Susanna Pressel said she was delighted her constituents would move to a Labour area.

Oxford West and Abingdon Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, however, said she was 'concerned' the proposals would split up north and west Oxford.

She said she would be trying to persuade the commission to 'come up with better proposals'.

Andrew Gant, leader of the city council Lib Dem group, agreed.

He said: "We don't support the proposal to take Jericho and Osney out of north wards and put them into Oxford East because that has a dislocating effect on the shape of Oxford as a constituency and leaves a small bit of Oxford city in another constituency that has significant links to the bit they're taking out.

"Essentially the north Oxford community is cut in half and that does not work."

Graham Rose, who lives in Appleton, said he was 'thrilled' that he could be moving from Lib Dem Oxford West and Abingdon to Conservative Ed Vaizey's Wantage constituency.

However his neighbour Roger Gilkes, who voted Lib Dem, said: "I'm devastated – I think our current MP Layla Moran will do great things for her constituents.

"I think people in Appleton will be disappointed."

Herald Series:

A huge area of the Wantage constituency to the south of Appleton, including Marcham, Drayton and Milton, is to be lassoed into the new Abingdon and Oxford North.

Marcham parish councillor David Walton said yesterday many in the village might well embrace the plan.

He said: "Certainly as a village we have a natural affinity with Abingdon and we do look to Abingdon for most of our amenities, so it may be that people don't think this is a particular problem, but it's hard to know until we've talked it out."

Today's proposals also reveal that a bid by Didcot residents to change the name of the Wantage constituency to include their own town's name has been turned down.

Taxi driver David Pryor, head of the Didcot First town commerce group which submitted the official bid, said: "I'm disappointed.

"Didcot struggles for recognition nationally given the contribution it makes to our local economy, but we'll try again next time."

Wantage MP Ed Vaizey, who had supported the bid, said: "I’m very disappointed that the Boundary Commission will not include Didcot in the name of the new constituency – but I will continue to refer to myself as the MP for Wantage and Didcot."

In Bicester, the proposed changes have been branded ‘ridiculous’ as the new boundaries would cut the town into two.

Bicester housing estates could be split through the middle and neighbouring villages moved into the East Oxfordshire constituency which will share an MP with residents as far away as Henley.

Kingsmere Residents Association co-chairwoman Viki Heil, who would be moved into East Oxfordshire, said: "It is absolutely ridiculous, we understand boundaries have to change but to split a housing estate in two is just odd."

The Boundary Commission was asked by Parliament to redraw the map to reduce the number of he number of constituencies in the South East from 84 to 83, but keeping the population of electors in each one between 71,031 and 78,507.

Voters now have until December 11 to comment on the proposals.

See a full interactive map and have your say at boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk