Constitutional change came one step closer with the appointment of the Boundaries Commission yesterday.

The six member commission is charged with recommending the boundaries and number of constituencies in a revamped single seat electoral system.

Governor Thorold Masefield has appointed shadow legislative affairs Minister John Barritt and former Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon as the Commission's members from the United Bermuda Party.

Attorney General Dame Lois Browne Evans and the deputy premier Eugene Cox are the two members from the ruling Progressive Labour Party.

Chairing the Commission will be Sir Frank Blackman, who headed up the last Boundaries Commission which was appointed in 1994. And Sir Brian Smedley, a retired British High Court Judge will serve as the Commission's judicial member.

According to a press release from Government Information Services, the Commission will have its first meetings later this year to decide on how it wishes to proceed.

An order in council came into force in August requiring the Commission to recommend the number of single seat constituencies (between 20 and 40) and their boundaries, in a report to be debated by the House of Assembly.

A record of the debate, and the report will then be sent to the Foreign Secretary in the UK.