Boundary changes are “recipe for chaos”

Warrington Soutn MP David Mowat

THE dust had hardly settled on Parliament’s decision to approve  controversial electoral boundary changes for Warrington than angry local councillors were voicing their disapproval.
Conservative Warrington South MP David Mowat won praise from his own party and also from the Liberal Democrats for his brave, last ditch attempt to persuade MPs to reject the proposals of the Local Government Boundary Commission.
But Labour Warrington North MP Helen Jones came in for some criticism for not opposing the changes – which admittedly were minor in her constituency by comparison with those in the South.
Overall, there are still major concerns about the future of local government in Warrington following the Parliamentary debate triggered by Mr Mowat.
He pointed out that in one ward of the restructured parish of Stockton Heath, voters will be electing a total 12 councillors on a single ballot paper.
Should all four main political parties field a full slate of candidates alongside independent candidates, the ballot paper could easily be
50 names long – causing headaches for both voters and counting agents.
Because Warrington’s parish councils will all be up for election in May, there will not be time for Warrington Borough Council to implement a more reasonable set of parish wards before polling day.
Although the legislation implementing the new boundaries has now been approved by Parliament, a compromise was suggested which would see fresh parish elections next year.
Mr Mowat said:  “Some very perverse consequences for Warrington have been brought about by the timing of this review, so I felt that it was essential that Parliament debate them.
“Ballot papers which are 50 names long are a recipe for chaos and confusion, both for the voters who have to fill them in and for the staff who have to count them. There is a real risk of such high numbers of voters being disenfranchised that it brings the whole election into disrepute.
“I’m disappointed that we’ve not been able to fix the situation this year but I am encouraged that the concerns have at least been put on record.”
Chairman of Warrington Liberal Democrats Ian Marks said: “I want to thank David Mowat for his valiant attempt to obtain an amendment to the Boundary Commission’s ill-thought out recommendations for Warrington.
“Sadly he had no help whatsoever from Warrington’s other MP but at least he won an admission from the Commission that the parish ward boundaries were ‘inelegant’ and ‘far from ideal.’
“But he did not receive a satisfactory explanation about the legal requirement to treat each of the three criteria for a review equally, which they blatantly were not.  It was also not the case that the Commission never received an acceptable alternative proposal.
“ They did receive one from ourselves that met all the three criteria and which had the support of several parish councils south of the Manchester Ship Canal.  We are extremely disappointed it completely ignored this and indeed all the other comments put forward by local people in the consultation process.”
Cllr Bob Barr, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the borough council, said: ”It was a disappointing but not unexpected result. David Mowat was very helpful in putting the case, that had been strongly argued, and campaigned for by Ian Marks and the Liberal Democrats in South Warrington.
Helen Jones the MP for Warrington North was particularly unhelpful, while Warrington Labour were silent, over the disruption of parish council voting in the South and the illogical merging of half of Lymm with Thelwall.
“The examples Helen Jones gave from the North at least had common representation for entire villages or communities, they do not split off half of one village and merge it for electoral and representative purposes with another.
“We now all need to accept the outcome and put up both experienced councillors and new candidates to ensure that the residents are properly represented at the Borough Council.”
Cllr Paul Kennedy, leader of the Conservative Group on the borough council, who could have been expected to most angry at the decision because his ward, Hatton Stretton and Walton, will disappear as part of the changes, was in fact most relaxed about the situation.
He said: “Whilst many of us would have preferred a different outcome and that the Boundary Commission’s recommendations be postponed, rather than going ahead in May, as they now will, I personally fully accept that due process has taken place.
“We are where we are, and finally a long period of uncertainty has come to an end and we can all move forward.”