Matchmakers examining the new boundaries for the Greater London Assembly voting areas have proposed Croydon and Sutton as potential partners.

In a draft proposal, the Local Government Commission for England has suggested the two areas are joined to form a super-constituency of 358,131 constituents.

The new borough would vote in one of 14 elected representatives to sit on the assembly which will have a mandate to co-ordinate and develop London wide strategies.

The Commission was charged with finding a suitable partner for Croydon that would bring the borough's existing 225,937 electorate up to a figure of around 360,000.

According to council leader Valerie Shawcross, although Merton was the favoured match, union with Sutton is "not a huge problem."

"We are disappointed, but not significantly so. Despite political differences between the two boroughs, at a working level we have had a good relationship," she said.

Now the proposals are on the table until October 13 for interested parties to respond before the final draft plan is submitted to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, John Prescott, on November 30.

Chief Executive of the Commission, Barbara Stevens, told the Guardian: "The most important point is that every Londoner's vote should carry the same weight.

"We wanted to get constituency areas of 360,000 people, plus or minus 10 per cent."

Croydon and Sutton's new electorate is one per cent below this average but the two are seen to share relevant similarities by the Commission such as the types of socio-economic groupings and community considerations.

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