Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

My Daughter brought me a copy of the Obs this morning and I was interested in the article regarding proposed Parliamentary Boundary Changes. I appears that they want to bung Rishton, Clayton and Great Harwood, in with Blackburn:rolleyes: and the Rest of Hyndburn in with Rossendale. Well to my way of thinking if they are going to do all this messing about again and the confusion it brings to the electorate(and it does) why on earth don't they go the whole hog and sort the situation out once and for all.

I remember back in the 90s the was a huge debate about whether to keep a two tier system local and county or go for Unitary Authorities, in the end we stuck with the two tier system while the likes of Blackburn and Blackpool went Unitary, to me that was a big mistake.

So if we are going to tinker about again why not sort it out properly and be done with it, there is already so many stupid boundary changes, like two Haslingden Wards being in the Hyndburn Constituency for General elections but Rossendale for Local and County and of Course Darwen are with Rossendale for Parliamentary and Blackburn for council its a nonsense, even in Hyndburn a section of Immanuel ward is in spring hill for country but reverts to Hyndburn for council its barmy.

If we have Parliamentary constituencies which mirror Unitary councils and no county council, the general public would be aware with whats happening and it sure as hell would me that every penny of council tax payers money raised in the borough/constituency would be guaranteed to be spent in that areas, whereas only 19 pence in every pound is guaranteed at the moment

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Great Harwood won't like that.

They still have hopes of leaving Hyndburn, and being tagged on as a satellite, to the Ribble Valley.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Thats the trouble with Snuffy Arrod, they have always been loners, its been difficult tracing WW1 Soldiers who lived there, they had no local news papers very little appeared in the Observer, most of what I've found about Snuffy men has come from Blackburn news papers.
As for Haslingden back in the distant past the Halmote Courts of Accrington had jurisdiction over Haslingden.
What if any would be the benifit of boundry changes.
Retlaw.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

They weren't right amused when they were prised out of Ribble Valley in the first place:rolleyes:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

i went to preston to speak in front of the bigwigs from london about the last lot of boundary changes ... that was the first time i met bernard .... he still has nightmares ...:D:D:D

anyway i spoke out against em then ...

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Is it true that Church will become part of the Chelsea & Kensington constituency and Ossy is going to Islamabad (south)?

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Nah T, Islamabad have declined.;):D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

So I suppose they'll have to go with Burnley.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

It ain't broke - Course they have got to fix it.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

If India declared was on Pakistan wot would happen to Bradford, & Burnley.
Retlaw

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I think there would be a news blackout.:hehetable

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Taxi prices would go up to support the war effort:D:D:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

As long as it's not lumped in with the Peoples' Republic of Tower Hamlets, we won't mind.

;)

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

They would charter a bus to go over the to Bradford and fight them in the hills.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Destitution, "The great Curry & Cornershop crash" get your supplies of Pataks in. ;)

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

No we'll just make Church a Brown Field Site, but remembering to leave it vacant for 25 years to revert back to its natural state:tongueout:tongueout:tongueout

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

This was the third such model. The big date for the real thing is 12 September. It all comes about because the coalition want to diminish Labours electoral advantage gained by the current variable sizes in seats and have passed a bill.

It excludes the 3.5m people unregistered mainly in urban areas and there is the rub. That and the fact that 2 Lib Dem island seats in Scotland are being allowed to carry on below the new 75,000 size (30,000 and 20,000) and the Isle of Wight at 100,000 (Tory) is being divided into two.

The popular view is Ross and Darwen will go and Preston North and Wyre will go to make the larger seat numbers. Everyone else will have to shuffle around.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I'd say you can stick at least another million on the figure of 3.5m unregistered voters and most of those would be in rural areas.. boundary changes are not an exact science if we rely on the voting register or even the census.. win some lose some but never known of a change that has ever benefited the opposition.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Boundary changes have become something of a pastime in this country, which carries a raft of civil servants (Boundaries Commission) just wondering if this goes on in other countries, I'm sure Eric, SJ Alan Gilmartin, and other expats living worldwide could enlighten us;)

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

An electoral advantage undertaken by the last government, which I suppose you thought was quite alright at the time because it suited your own political ethos:rolleyes:In your eyes it only becomes a problem when its undertaken by the Tories;)

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

To my mind it's a question of practicality. It costs money and since townships evolve all the time this will end up being a neverending exercise under the excuse of political balance and even numbers. Under the proposed changes Rishton, Great Harwood and St Oswalds will move into Blackburn parliamentary territory whilst remaining under the remit of Hyndburn Borough Council.

People won't like it, it just doesn't make sense to keep messing about with boundaries.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

How does Rawtenstall come under Hyndburn when it's in Rossendale? A different council altogether.

I can see why Great Harwood would want to fall under the Ribble Valley as it's not that far away.

We're going to have another Southport debacle where they can't decide which which county it's in. Sometimes it's in West Lancashire and other times it's under Merseyside.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I wonder if Jack will come on here to tell us all about his bits of Hyndburn and if he will spend lots of time at Scaithcliffe.

There will be no room for Councillors with all the MP's in the way :rolleyes::D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

So the only way to solve this age old problem is to make the Boundaries Commission totally independent from all colours of government, (and if you think they already are your living on cloud cuckoo land) who, on election, try to undo the changes made by their predecessors, only then will we get a system that is fair to the people who really matter, the electorate;)

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

The answer is Rawtenstall doesn't come under Hyndburn but if boundary changes go ahead it would for parliamentary purposes only, at the moment two ward from Haslingden are included with Hyndburn for parliamentary Worsley and er (where's Jen when you need her:D) but they revert back to Rossendale for local and county. According to these new proposals nothing would change on that score and it would be Status Quo as far as local councils are concerned, ya your right its a bloody dogs breakfast:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

:rofl38::rofl38::rofl38::rofl38::rofl38::rofl38:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

im here :D....be nice to me im in recovery again ... its worsley and greenfield wards that are in hyndburn constituency ... which means that rising bridge, acre, station steps, haslingden, road end, ewood bridge are all in hyndburn .. but yet our councillors are on rossendale council and we pay our council tax to rossendale. Lancashire county council .. worsley ward and helmshore wards are put together for one county councillor ...

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

To be frank, I think that continually messing with boundaries through some arbitrary osmosis of population numbers is a fruitless exercise. Boroughs evolve over time, some will be bigger than others and some will have population decreases. Changing the boundaries will inevitably cost money and the people will resent the change, as they have been letting me know very vocally within Rishton. To use Rishton as an example, how can it make sense to have a Blackburn MP representing us but be part of Hyndburn Council?

For me, you can leave everything alone and save a few thousand quid.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

c'mon Ken.....when does anything have to make sense for it to be applied?
If we did things (politically) that made sense we would be out of the EU by now......villains would be locked up and the key thrown away, the bus station would not be scheduled to be at the bottom end of the town.....and lots of other things would be implemented, just because they made sense.

No, I'm afraid that sense(common or otherwise) is a rare commodity...maybe even extinct.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Exactly Ken, its a complete dogs breakfast, as you say leave things alone get rid of the Boundaries Commission and save billions of pounds over the years, this keep swapping and changing is just another thing that's putting the General Public off politics all together because they just don't know where they are. Its hard enough to try explaining to people whats going on within the political spectrum without keep clouding the waters

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Recent evidence from Experian I am led to believe has stated that there are 6.5m unregistered voters.

I asked the Council to put the Council tax register on the Eelctoral Roll last year and this produced 2,500 more voters in Hyndburn alone. I think there are 58,000 so that would be just short of 5% increase. Around 3%? of properties evade Council Tax so that would be upwards toward another 3% likiely to be missing.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Perhaps they're all the illegal immigrants, that came here after 1997.

:rolleyes::D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

i said that back in 1995 ... when they put greenfield and worsley ward in with hyndburn ... and yet left darwen in with rossendale ....

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Admit it, you've never looked back since Rising Bridge came into Hyndburn.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

i had no choice did i :p:p:p..... can i just say i still get ... why are we in with hyndburn .... we are in rossendale .... when im out and about ....

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

It would appear that something as been going amiss for quite a long stretch of time then Graham, what are the answers:confused:if there are people who can come up with these figures then surely something could be done about it or am I being Naive in thinking that

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Of course you still live in Rossendale Jen its just they shift you once every general election for a period of about 5 or 6 weeks, which improves the place no end on a short term basis:D:D:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Bring it on . . . and hope that they introduce conscription for natives both home and abroad.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

you sure about that? :p:p:p

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Positive:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Surely Ken, that is an argument for 'Rotten Boroughs', of the sort seen from the 12th century (Old Sarum) all the way through to the 19th century?

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I think the actual boundaries should be left as they are.

If populations in different constituencies are mis-matched, just carry out enforced mass evacuations.

A bit like Dame Shirley Porter did, gerrymandering in Westminster.

We'll keep Rishton.

Instead we'll just send Ken to top 'n' tail with Flashy.

:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

What an excellent idea sir :D:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Except Dame Shirley didn't play around with the constituency boundaries - she had no power to do so. She simply de-housed the riff-raff and shipped in the tory toffs.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I know.

Ethnic cleansing by any other name.

She's lucky to have escaped with her Tesco millions to Israel, rather than face war crime charges in the Hague.

:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

We were very grateful too.

I had somewhere handy for Hyde Park, to keep my horse.

:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I always wondered whose that old carthorse was, stabled next to one of my polo ponys.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

If it is Rawtenstall and Accrington it will be welcome news for ordinary Conservatives who will see an improvement in their chances. There are slightly more Conservatives than Labour in the Rawtenstall area. Secondly the the local Parliamentary Conservative Association will be a combination of both areas minus the Hyndburn wards lost.

So in will come Gladys Sandiford and co, out will go Marlene Haworth, Brian Roberts, Peter Clarke to Blackburn.

In effect I cannot see under any circumstances the strong Conservative Ass from Rawtensall taking one blind bit of notice of Peter Britcliffe and any slight hope he had of standing again for Parliament would be dashed automatically by these new boundaries.

The real boundaries come out on September the 12th.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I would have thought that Peter will have given up the idea of a parliametary seat,

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Perhaps Graham can get one from the House of Commons - they chuck out office furniture when it's about a year old. He could then give it to Peter, to go with his HBC desk.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

If they change the boundaries he won't be there long enough

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

He's there for another 4 years, ain't he? Unless, of course, the Lib-Dems decide to get out of bed with the Tories.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Or they get kicked out, and they won't want that will they, its the only chance of any semblance of power they are ever likely to have or will ever have again and with Mr Ed falling all over himself to make the Tories more popular life's a bitch:hehetable:hehetable:hehetable

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

RIP Hyndburn with Haslingden

The Boundary Commission this morning announced the passing away of the Hyndburn with Haslingden Constituency. There will be no funeral; instead, the body will be divided in two; the right half will become part of Dingle land and the left half will be blasted into the wildlands of somewhere called Darwen and Haslingden.

Flowers may be sent to everyone in the constituency, but especially to Graham Jones, M.P.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

2 years of consultation first aint there?:confused:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Aye....that should be fun.

Anway, these are the plans:

http://rr-bce-static.s3.amazonaws.co...-BC.pdf?9d7bd4

http://rr-bce-static.s3.amazonaws.co...-CC.pdf?9d7bd4

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

At least Ossy and Church are still together :D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Excuse me if I am being a little thick but will it make any difference to us at all?

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

well it will to me, dont wanna be a dingle........NO sodding way.:eek:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

How often have you contacted your MP about an issue?
Most people never will so will it really make any difference to them if he/she is a little further away when they need them?

It has been mentioned on here before that we have to many MP's.


I would be more worried if they decided to get rid of HBC and move the same wards into Blackburn and Burnley.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I think the idea of having an MP is that they ARE there if required, which is why its important to me that the person selected to represent us at Westminster is some one local, irrespective of political party. I good constituency MP is essential to places like Hyndburn and who better to represent us than some one born and bread here

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I suppose it depends on your definition of local.
If you live in Rishton Blackburn is about the same distance to Accy.

What is important is that your MP is accessible when required.

Graham is a good one, he splits his time between here and London but if you need him and he is in London at the time it makes no difference if he lives in Accy or Blackburn.

I was reading about an MP in the paper the other day who has not held a surgery for years and you have to make an appointment to see him. It did not say where meetings took place but implied in London.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Ya I read about him too, don't think he would have lasted that long in Hyndburn irrespective of Party

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

If only Margaret Thatcher had to try and get a seat in Lincolnshire, rather than miles away in London, we might not have heard of her.

:rolleyes:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

And your point

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Just that Mrs. Thatcher, Winston Churchill, and countless others represented constituencies in which they had no ties, and weren't local.

If forced to fight for a local seat we might never have heard of them.

;)

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

If your interested in making a difference you'll always find a way, I remember when Ken Hargreaves first stood for Parliament he openly stated he had no interest in representing anywhere else but Hyndburn. When he lost his seat in 1992 he could have gone elsewhere and applied to be a candidate at by elections but just wasn't interested, if others had that ethos it would only help to create a more representative society

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Who knows? Perhaps Karen Buckley could have been the next Mrs. Thatcher.

If only those mean local Tories had given her a half decent chance, and supported her.

Instead of ripping up their party membership cards, and spitting out their dummies, because her links to the area were only through her mother.

Guess we'll never know.

Poor Mrs. Buckley.

:rolleyes:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

My thoughts were aired about Ms Buckley at the time and at least I had the courage of my own convictions on a matter of principal having a candidates list forced on us my CCO

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

...and if the local Tories in Finchley had thought the same as you, you'd never have had your Mrs. Thatcher.


:rofl38::rofl38::rofl38:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

have no doubt that Margaret Hilda would have been MP for Grantham if she had needed to :)

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Highly doubtful.

There was a sitting Conservative M.P., Kenneth Lewis, from 1959 - 1987.

So she wouldn't have been able to enter parliament, and wouldn't that have been a shame?

:rolleyes:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

...and Churchill was a real geographical whore.

Representing three consituencies across the country.

None of whom he was 'local' in.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Makes sense to me that the RIGHT half becomes Dingleland and the WRONG half goes elsewhere :D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

You will feel at home again

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

i will read them properly later .. i need to go shopping ...

but what has edenfield got in common with baxenden ....

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Perhaps the majority of the electorate look to other qualities, before considering a candidate's 'localness'.

Didn't a born and bred Accrington lad unsuccessfully stand against Great Harwood born Greg Pope, twice?

Hyndburn (UK Parliament constituency) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oh yes, just checked, there was someone. Called Peter Britcliffe, apparently.

Seeing as the population of Accrington is many times greater than Harwood, it really should have been a walk in the park, if localism was an important consideration to folks around here.

Remind us again, who would have been your preferred Conservative candidate at the last General Election?

Local lad, with a keen interest in politics, was it?

:rolleyes:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

So similar they should be twinned.

;):D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Sorry ... even though I'm interested in the UK's latest forray into gerrymandering ... our model is of no use to you. For example, Calgary Centre has almost 90,000 voters, and the Yukon has only about 23, 000 ... However the area of Calgary Centre is 42 km2, while in the Yukon, it is 482,445 km2:eek: And we have to consider the regions: Quebec has a certain degree of guaranteed representation, as do the Maritimes and the Prairie Provinces. It's a mess ... but it's the nature of a country having most of its population concentrated in realtively few centres. If the Great Barren Lands had a constituency the voting population would consist entirely of bears, moose, and other assorted wild life:alright:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

That sounds a bit like Church :)

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Have to admit that Yorkshire crossed my mind, but, come to think of it, Church would fit the bill:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

And if I remember correctly two different parties too;) I know he had a dabble with both Liberal and even Labour at one time

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

And they've probably got more political sense amongst them than some of these dyed in the wool backwaters.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

As I said.

Churchill was a whore.

:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

You're probably right ... :D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Under Party rules I will transfer to the new seat, I qualify for both exclusively because there are no other Labour MPs in them, I therefore I will take on 'incumbent status'. Ie automatically be the presumed candidate for Burnley and Accrington. There is then a trigger ballot to deselect and the real election.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Can yeh explain that in numpty language Graham?:confused:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Oi missus, I was brought up over yon:p Careful how you diss the area:alright:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

cashy it means that graham will stand for Burnley and Accrington ... if the boundary changes go through ....

Burnley South and Accrington BC 78,881
Brunshaw Burnley 4,986
Cliviger with Worsthorne Burnley 4,383
Coal Clough with Deerplay Burnley 4,126
Gannow Burnley 4,381
Gawthorpe Burnley 4,751
Hapton with Park Burnley 4,727
Rosegrove with Lowerhouse Burnley 4,836
Rosehill with Burnley Wood Burnley 4,521
Trinity Burnley 3,968
Whittlefield with Ightenhill Burnley 4,846
Altham Hyndburn 4,055
Barnfield Hyndburn 3,360
Central Hyndburn 3,713
Clayton-le-Moors Hyndburn 3,688
Huncoat Hyndburn 3,499
Milnshaw Hyndburn 3,506
Netherton Hyndburn 3,365
Overton Hyndburn 4,988
Peel Hyndburn 3,182

rather than for these wards ....
Baxenden Hyndburn 3,288
Church Hyndburn 3,228
Immanuel Hyndburn 3,550
Rishton Hyndburn 5,143
St Andrew’s Hyndburn 3,408
St Oswald’s Hyndburn 5,145
Spring Hill Hyndburn 3,553
Cribden Rossendale 2,842
Eden Rossendale 2,868
Goodshaw Rossendale 3,218
Greenfield Rossendale 4,510
Helmshore Rossendale 4,686
Longholme Rossendale 4,220
Worsley Rossendale 4,436

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Where's Ossy going?

I'll be damned if they try and annex us to bloody Lytham St. Annes.

:eek::D:eek:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

looks like you cant get rid of me rindy ... you coming with us into Darwen and Haslingden ......:D:D:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

No!

:eek:

I think it's bloomin' stupid Dawen's with Haslingden anyway.

Separated as they are by miles, and miles of moorland.

If Ossy joined them it'll be like the freakin' Bermuda Triangle, with a few windmills stuck in the middle.

Darren!

How shaming.

Like a long, drawn out Burnley, with a tower stuck on top.

Think I'll get a caravan, and become a traveller.

Then I can pitch up in any M.P.'s constituency I choose.

:rolleyes:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

On second thoughts.

With feet in two constituent camps, so to speak.

Double the number of politicans to slag off.

:rolleyes:

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Hyndburn MP Graham Jones accused the Government of 'gerrymandering' the consituency boundaries for electoral gain.
Hyndburn set to lose MP in boundary shake-up | Manchester Evening News - menmedia.co.uk

Graham, do you think this locally, or nationally?

If locally, what effect do you think the proposed changes will have for us?



'The public have three months to give their views.'
To respond visit the Boundary Commission website, email [email protected] or write to Boundary Commission for England, 35 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BQ.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

I think we'll all lose out.

Having two M.P.s partly covering the one political borough.

I can't see any positives for the whole of Hyndburn, if these proposed changes go ahead.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

OK Bernie...wasn't getting at you....and was talking about NOW....it is like the badlands over that way now.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

That is something of an understatement. It's going to be a disaster - especially for Church & Ossy. We are going to be the smallest element of a multi-borough constituency whose MP will no doubt have to pander to the Darwen or Rossendale pressure. We'll be sidelined from the start.

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Yeah I know Marg, Mum still lives over there

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

That's a shame if it had been before the last election we could have had Karen as a "Local" candidate:D

Re: Parliamentary Boundary Change
 

Hell I find myself agreeing with you Tealeaf, to be quite honest I don't think the people who are charged with making these decisions fail to take into account local traditions what so ever, Blackburn is Blackburn and Rossendale is Rossendale, I know we are near neighbours but our outlooks are totally different. Besides that we will still be under the same Hyndburn flag at local level, is it any wonder that the rank and file of local people haven't got a clue whats happening with politics, there is always some boffin state in a London office trying to muddy the waters