Tory wants parties to unite on boundaries

WARRINGTON South MP David Mowat is urging politicians of all parties to come together and reach agreement on new electoral boundaries that will keep the borough as a whole – even if it means opposing their own party’s official recommendations.
The Conservative MP (pictured) has joined with Cllr Paul Campbell, party spokesman in Warrington North, have already put forward proposals which differ from the official Conservative proposal for the North West.
The Boundaries Commission has put forward proposals for the Warrington area and all three major parties have put forward their own proposals.
The official Conservative Party proposal would see the existing seats remain largely unchanged, however Bewsey and Whitecross would move from Warrington South to Warrington North.
Warrington South would extend slightly further west by incorporating Halton View ward to the west of Penketh. Approximately 8,000 people in Warrington and another 5,000 in Halton View would see their MP change.
However, Mr Mowat and Cllr Campbell have also proposed a simpler version, which would keep the existing constituencies the same, but would shift Latchford East from Warrington South to Warrington North.
The Liberal Democrats have proposed splitting Warrington between three seats: the current Warrington South seat would gain Daresbury and two wards from the outskirts of Runcorn. The new seat – renamed Warrington South and Norton – would also incorporate the entire core of the town by gaining Fairfield and Howley, Orford and Poplars and Hulme wards from Warrington North.
A new seat of “Warrington North and Lymm” would be based on the existing Warrington North seat, but would get Great Sankey North, Great Sankey South and Whittle Hall and Lymm.
Penketh would be put into a new Widnes and Runcorn seat. Nearly 63,000 people would change their MP with another 13,000 people moving into Warrington from Runcorn.
The Labour Proposal would see Warrington split four ways. A new “Warrington West and Widnes” seat would incorporate Westbrook, Sankey and Penketh and stretch all the way to the Land Rover plant at Halewood.
Warrington North would be largely unchanged although it would lose Westbrook to Warrington West and gain Bewsey and Whitecross from Warrington South. Lymm would move into Altrincham & Sale and all other wards south of the Manchester Ship Canal, as well as Latchford East and Latchford West would be combined with the outskirts of Runcorn and Knutsford to form a new “North Cheshire” seat which would extend east as far as Mobberley and south as far as Chelford.
Mr Mowat said: “I have said from the outset that it is completely unacceptable to divide Warrington into more constituencies than are necessary and the Commission’s own figures show that Warrington fits perfectly into two seats. I made it very clear to my party bosses that I was not prepared to support any proposal that required Penketh to leave Warrington, or that didn’t broadly reflect the current boundaries and that has been reflected in our party’s submission.
“Warrington politicians, from all parties, need to come together and make sure we have a solution which keeps Warrington as a whole – even if it means disowning their own party’s official proposal. I understand a motion along similar lines will be debated at next week’s full council meeting and I hope that all councillors will feel able to support it.
“As well as commenting on the Boundary Commission’s proposals, local people can now air their opinions on all the various counter-proposals that have been put forward. I would encourage everyone to write in to the Commission and share their views.”

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