Cllr Charles Fifield, of Weaver and Cuddington Ward, spoke at the Parliamentary Boundary Commission Public Hearing on Friday 14 October in Chester regarding the impact of the proposed Boundary changes.
Whilst Cllr Fifield, was broadly in favour of the proposals, commenting the approach to 4 constituencies for the Borough “provides effectively a Constituency each for the 4 largest urban settlements within the Borough of Chester, Northwich, Ellesmere Port and Winsford. I think this is the right way to go, 1 seat per major conurbation.”
He did however highlight the concerncs in relation to the anomaoly in the prioposed Mersey Banks constituency of the Ditton and Hale wards which are on the north side of the Mersey with no connection within the proposed constituency to the rest of it.
Cllr Fifield also requested the Boundary Commission look at using the 2011 Ward Boundaries in key “pinch point” areas like Weaver and Cuddington, so that for example, Weaverham which is only 2.5 miles from Northwich and seperated from its urban spread by only a few green fields currently is proposed to be in the Mersey Banks seat whilst Alderley Edge, some 12.5 miles from Northwich is in the proposed Northwich seat, which seems odd.
Cllr Fifield pointed out that such an occasional use of the 2011 ward boundaries could prevent “the situation of for example, my constituents in the northern half of Weaver & Cuddington being moved into Mersey Banks now, only to be sent into Northwich in 5 years time”.
He then suggested if however this were not possible then a potentially more suitable name for Mersey Banks, would be “Mersey and Weaver”, which “would help bind in those residents at the eastern edge of the new constituency where the River Weaver runs is as familiar as those in Ellesmere Port and Wirral” are with the Mersey.
The full Boundary Commission proposals can be seen at:
N.B. The Boundary Commission currrent proposals use the ward boundaries from 2010, e.g. Weaver ward and Eddisbury Ward rather than the new Weaver & Cuddington Ward, as the building blocks. There are currently 15 seats in Cheshire and the Wirral, which need to be cut down to 13 as part of the overall reduction in parliamentary seats from 650 to 600. Both the Conservative Party and Liberal Democrats made election manifesto promises to reduce the number of MPs.
Weaver Vale gets chopped into 4, mostly between a new Northwich seat (Northwich, Hartford, Knutsford, Davenham) and a new Mersey Banks seat (Weaverham, Acton Bridge, Dutton, Kingsley, Frodsham, Helsby, Ellesmere Port, Bromborough with Ditton and Hale from the other side of the Mersey).
Eddisbury will be renamed Winsford (Cuddington, Sandiway and Delamere Park will stay in this seat) but will not alter significantly losing Davenham in the North East and gaining Broughton Heath and Vicars Cross.If you feel strongly about the proposals please get involved with the Consultation Process.Update: The later amended proposals can be found at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140404084345/http://assets.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2900326_North-West_WEB-3.pdf?9d7bd4
