Cllr Paul Kennedy
THE Boundary Commission’s controversial proposals to change electoral boundaries at Warrington are to be debated by MPs on Tuesday (February 2).
Members of the Second Delegated Legislation Committee will discuss the proposals following an Early Day motion submitted by Warrington South MP David Mowat.
After the debate, members of the committee will vote – and the Commission’s proposals will either be accepted or rejected.
Warrington people will be able to watch the debate live at 2.30pm by clicking on
http://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/643d8c3e-eb05-46eb-9caf-899e90872004
It is very unusual for the Commission’s proposals to be challenged, but Mr Mowat did so in response to requests from Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors in Warrington.
If the proposals are allowed to stand, there will be widespread boundary changes in South Warrington.
Lymm would be split in two, with one part taking over Thelwall and part of Grappenhall.
Appleton Thorn would be “moved” out of Appleton and merged with Grappenhall.
There would be changes to the boundary between Stockton Heath and Appleton and the villages of Walton, Stretton and Hatton would disappear from the electoral map, leaving Cllr Paul Kennedy, leader of the Conservative Group on the borough council, without a seat.
Representatives of all the main political parties have criticised the Commissions’s proposals and condemned them as illogical and even “stupid.”
Although the Commission’s proposals are subject to approval by Parliament, it is almost unheard of for them to be rejected.
In the unlikely event they are turned down, a question mark will hang over the May council elections.
The most likely possibility would be that the elections would go ahead using the existing boundaries.
1 Comment
It may be that some “representatives” of the Labour Party have criticised the new boundaries, as said above, but this one hasn’t. I, and other Labour members think that there are benefits in the proposals for Lymm. There will be five councillors covering both Lymm wards and although the village centre lies in the south ward most of the people living in the Lymm North and Thelwall ward would have strong interests in the village centre and I am sure that those councillors would express their views when needed. The three councillors would also allow for expected expansion in the north of the village. There is also the possibility that the election may not go ahead at all this year as to choose candidates and allow sufficient time to campaign were the issue to go to formal appeal there would, probably, be not time left to run a fair election.