Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the North West Contents Summary 3 1 What is the Boundary Commission for England? 5 2 Background to the 2018 Review 7 3 Initial proposals for the North West 11 Initial proposals for the Cumbria sub‑region 12 Initial proposals for the Lancashire sub‑region 13 Initial proposals for the Merseyside (less the Wirral) 15 sub‑region Initial proposals for the Greater Manchester, 16 Wirral and Cheshire sub‑region 4 How to have your say 23 Annex A: Initial proposals for constituencies, 27 including wards and electorates Glossary 44 Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the North West 1 Summary Who we are and what we do What is changing in the North West? The Boundary Commission for England is an independent and impartial The North West has been allocated 68 non‑departmental public body which is constituencies – a reduction of seven from responsible for reviewing Parliamentary the current number. constituency boundaries in England. Due to the significant change required The 2018 Review throughout the region, our proposals leave 14 of the 75 existing constituencies We have the task of periodically reviewing unchanged. the boundaries of all the Parliamentary constituencies in England. We are currently As it has not always been possible to conducting a review on the basis of rules allocate whole numbers of constituencies set by Parliament in 2011. The rules tell to individual counties, we have grouped us that we must make recommendations some county and local authority areas for new Parliamentary constituency into sub‑regions. The number of boundaries in September 2018. They constituencies allocated to each sub‑region also result in a significant reduction in is determined by the electorate of the the number of constituencies in England combined local authorities. (from 533 to 501), and require that every constituency – apart from two specified Consequently, it has been necessary to exceptions – must have an electorate that propose some constituencies that cross is no smaller than 71,031 and no larger county or unitary authority boundaries. than 78,507. We have proposed that the metropolitan Initial proposals boroughs of Greater Manchester be combined in a sub‑region, with the We published our initial proposals for Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, the unitary the new Parliamentary constituency authorities of Cheshire East, and Chester boundaries in England on 13 September West and Chester, and the boroughs of 2016. Information about the proposed Halton and Warrington. constituencies is now available on our website. Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the North West 3 Sub‑region Existing allocation Proposed allocation Cumbria 6 5 Lancashire 16 14 Merseyside (less the Wirral) 11 10 Greater Manchester, the Wirral and Cheshire 42 39 We propose two constituencies that How to have your say contain electors from both Cheshire and Greater Manchester, which combine We are consulting on our initial proposals Altrincham and Knutsford in a constituency for a 12‑week period, from 13 September and the towns of Bramhall and Poynton in 2016 to 5 December 2016. We encourage a constituency. everyone to use this opportunity to help us shape the new constituencies – the Although we have treated Lancashire and more views we hear, the more informed our Merseyside as separate sub‑regions, we decisions will be when considering whether have proposed one constituency that to revise our proposals. crosses the county boundary, which combines three wards of the Borough of Our website, at www.bce2018.org.uk has West Lancashire with the town of more information about how to respond Southport. as well as details of where and when we will be holding public hearings in your We propose five constituencies entirely area. You can also follow us on Twitter contained in the county of Cumbria. @BCE2018 or using #2018boundaryreview. 4 Boundary Commission for England 1 What is the Boundary Commission for England? 1 The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) is an independent and You can find further information on our impartial non‑departmental public body website, at www.bce2018.org.uk. You which is required to review Parliamentary can also contact us with any general constituency boundaries in England. We enquiries by emailing information@ conduct a review of all the constituencies boundarycommissionengland.gov.uk, in England every five years. Our role is to or by calling 020 7276 1102. make recommendations to Parliament for new constituency boundaries. 2 The Chair of the Commission is the Speaker of the House of Commons, but by convention he does not participate in the review. The current Deputy Chair, Mrs Justice Patterson, and two further Commissioners, take decisions on proposals and recommendations for new constituency boundaries. Further information about the Commissioners can be found on our website.1 1 www.bce2018.org.uk Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the North West 5 2 Background to the 2018 review 3 We are currently conducting a review 5 This is a significant change to the old of Parliamentary constituency boundaries rules under which Parliamentary boundary on the basis of rules set by Parliament in reviews took place, in which achieving as 2011. 2 These rules require us to reduce the close to the average number of electors number of constituencies in the UK and in each constituency was an aim, but make more equal the number of electors in there was no statutory fixed permissible each constituency. This report covers only range. For example, in England, existing the work of the Boundary Commission for constituencies (drawn under the previous England (there are separate Commissions rules) currently range from 54,232 to for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) 105,448 electors. Furthermore, the current and, in particular, introduces our initial constituencies were constructed under the proposals for the North West. last completed review, which relied on the data contained in the electoral registers for 4 The rules set out in the legislation 2000 and applied the earlier version of the state that there will be 600 Parliamentary rules. Achieving a more even distribution constituencies covering the UK – of electors in every constituency across a reduction of 50 from the current England, together with the reduction in number. This means that the number of the total number of constituencies, means constituencies in England must be reduced that a significant amount of change to the from 533 to 501. There are also other existing map of constituencies is inevitable. rules that the Commission has regard to when conducting the review – a full set 6 Our Guide to the 2018 Review of the rules can be found in our Guide to contains further detailed background the 2018 Review3 published in summer information, and explains all the policies 2016, but they are also summarised later and procedures that we are following in in this chapter. Most significantly, the rules conducting the review. We encourage require every constituency we recommend anyone wishing to be involved in the review (with the exception of two covering the Isle to read this document, which will give them of Wight) to contain no fewer than 71,031 a greater understanding of the rules and electors and no more than 78,507. constraints placed on the Commission, especially if they are intending to comment on our initial proposals. 2 The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, available at www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/1/contents 3 Available at www.bce2018.org.uk and at all places of deposit Initial proposals for new Parliamentary constituency boundaries in the North West 7 The rules in the legislation 9 Although the first review under the new rules will unavoidably result in 7 As well as the primary rule that significant change, we have also taken constituencies must have no fewer than into account the boundaries of existing 71,031 electors and no more than 78,507, constituencies so far as we can. We have the legislation also states that, when tried to retain existing constituencies deciding on boundaries, the Commission as part of our initial proposals wherever may also take into account: possible, as long as the other factors can also be satisfied. This, however, has proved • special geographical considerations, difficult. Our initial proposals retain just including in particular the size, shape under 19% of the existing constituencies and accessibility of a constituency; in the North West – the remainder are • local government boundaries as they new constituencies (although in a number existed on 7 May 2015; of cases we have been able to limit the • boundaries of existing constituencies; changes to existing constituencies, making and only minor changes as necessary to enable • any local ties that would be broken by us to comply with the rules). changes in constituencies. 10 Our proposals are based on the nine 8 In addition, in relation to local regions used for European elections (though government boundaries in particular, it it should be clear that our work has no should be noted that we are obliged to take effect on European electoral matters, nor is into account local government boundaries it affected by the recent referendum result). as they existed in May 2015, rather than This report relates to the North West. There any subsequent changes that may have are eight other separate reports containing been made (or are due to be made). Our our initial proposals for the other regions. initial proposals for the North West (and the You can find more details in our Guide to accompanying maps) are therefore based on the 2018 Review and on our website. While local government boundaries as they existed this approach does not prevent anyone in May 2015. Our Guide to the 2018 Review from making proposals to us that cross outlines further our policy on how, and to regional boundaries (for example, between what extent, we take into account local the North West and the North East regions), government boundaries.