From: Posted At: 13 June 2009 09:26 Posted To: Reviews@ Conversation: Boundary Review for Co Durham Subject: Boundary Review for Co Durham

To The Review Officer Electoral Review The Boundary Committee for Trevelyan House Great Peter Street London SW1P 2HW

North West Durham Labour Party wishes to make the following suggestions for the current Boundary Review.

1. We suggest that there be no changes to the Weardale, Dipton/Burnopfield, and Lanchester divisions. These are all well established divisions based on natural communities, and all fall within tolerance in terms of voter numbers. 2. We believe that the current Esh division should remain with the addition of the natural neighbour of the Bearpark Polling District (register DR) of . This will create a reasonable size division ( 6893 voters) of similar ex mining communities on the outskirts of Durham city, sharing similar culture, history, and challenges for the future. 3. We believe that the current Leadgate and Medomsley division should remain the same, but with the transfer to Benfieldside of polling districts MG and MA. These areas have traditionally been linked to the community of Shotley Bridge rather than to the centres of Leadgate, Medomsley, and Ebchester which form the core of the division. The schools, shops, and pubs, of MG and MA areas all link in to Shotley, and their presence within Leadgate/Medomsley division is only from the last boundary review. 4. We believe the current Delves Lane/ South ward should be reduced in size, with the polling districts qa and qb taken out to form a new single member division of Consett South. The new Consett South would consist of two areas, The Grove and Moorside which are compact and self-contained, that are both self supporting communities which are used to working together. They have always been separate from the rest of the community of Consett because of the presence of the steel works and its successor site. 5. We believe that Consett North should be reduced in size by transferring the ob and oc polling districts to Benfieldside. These are both areas that look towards Blackhill as a shopping and social centre rather than describing themselves as part of Consett, and would leave the Consett divisions mainly representing what local people recognise as the town of Consett. 6. That would mean that Benfieldside ward gained polling district ob and oc from Consett North and MG and MA from Leadgate. This largely returns the division to its historic boundaries of the communities of Shotley Bridge, Benfieldside, and Blackhill. This is a distinct area with its own shopping centres, schools, social and sports clubs, which sees itself as separate from Consett. 7. We believe that the Willington division should be reduced by the transfer of polling districts BT and BU1 to Crook North. This brings Willington to a sensible size and transfers two outlying areas away from an essentially urban division into the more rural Crook North. 8. We believe that the Crook South divisions should be rationalised by a. The transfer into Crook South from Crook North of the remains of Foundry Fields, Hartside Close, St Mary’s, and the two parts of Park Avenue. This is in effect an enclave of Crook North within Crook South. Half of Foundry Fields is already in Crook South and voters cannot understand why their estate is so divided. Hartside Close has to be accessed by passing through Crook South. St Mary’s and Park Avenue form part of an area with these other streets. b. The transfer of the bw polling district covering Helmington Row to Crook North. This balances numbers between the two Crook Divisions, but also recognises that essentially Crook South is the division for central Crook, while Crook North represents the outlying areas. There is a clear geographical and social division between Helmington Row and rest of Crook South. c. We also believe that the names of the Crook South and Crook North divisions should be changed to better reflect the geography in which much of Crook North is furtehr south than Crook North, and would ask to be allowed to make recommendations on this when the next stage of consultation takes place. 9. That would leave Crook North having BT and BU1 added from Willington, BW added from Crook South, and Foundry Fields, Hartside Close, St Mary’s, and the two parts of Park Avenue. Transferred out to Crook South.

Andy Plant

On behalf of North West Durham Constituency Labour Party