On This Day in Wembury – 15 April 1982
The Boundary Commission for England announced that Wembury would remain outside Plymouth’s parliamentary boundaries, overturning its earlier proposal to place the village within the new Plymouth East constituency.
At a public inquiry held the previous September, Wembury’s case had been argued by John Hart, Rev. Tony Macey (the vicar), and solicitor John Major, who insisted that the parish’s rural character would be poorly represented if absorbed into a Plymouth seat. Their objections prevailed, and Wembury was instead confirmed as part of the South Hams constituency.
Local campaigners expressed delight at the outcome, while Plymouth City Council, which had not supported including Wembury in the first place, shifted its attention to fighting the Commission over constituency names.
The decision was seen in Wembury as a victory for local identity and a recognition that the parish belonged with South Hams’ rural communities rather than being treated as part of Plymouth’s urban fringe.
Source: Western Morning News, 15 Apr 1982.
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.