MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL REPORT FOR RESOLUTION DATE: 17 MAY 2006 SUJECT: PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES – GREATER MANCHESTER REPORT OF: THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND THE CITY SOLICITOR PURPOSE OF REPORT To inform Members of the outcome of the local inquiry in relation to Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in Greater Manchester and the revised and final recommendations of the Boundary Committee for England. RECOMMENDATIONS That the Council welcome the decision of the Boundary Committee for England to confirm its provisional recommendations for constituencies in Manchester as final recommendations. FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR THE REVENUE BUDGET None FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES FOR THE CAPITAL BUDGET None CONTACT OFFICERS Rodney Lund, Assistant City Solicitor 234 4019 [email protected] Peter Babb, Head of Planning 234 4501 [email protected] BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS 1. Boundary Commission for England (BCE) – Provisional Recommendations for Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in Greater Manchester. 2. Report to Executive on 13 April 2005. 3. Manchester City Council’s evidence to the local inquiry held in Manchester between 31 October and 17 November 2005. 4. Report of Nicholas Elliott Q.C., Assistant Commissioner. H:\COMMIT~1\Fileplan\DEMOCR~1\DECISI~1\COUNCI~1\FULLCO~1\Report\GM - Parliamentary Consituency Boundaries.doc 5. BCE – Revised and Final Recommendations for Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in Greater Manchester. WARDS AFFECTED All, but in particular Moston and Whalley Range. IMPLICATIONS FOR: Anti Poverty Equal Opportunities Environment Employment No No No No H:\COMMIT~1\Fileplan\DEMOCR~1\DECISI~1\COUNCI~1\FULLCO~1\Report\GM - Parliamentary Consituency Boundaries.doc 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 As Members will be aware, the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) is conducting its fifth general review of Parliamentary Constituencies in England. 1.2 On 10 th March 2005 the BCE published its provisional recommendations for Greater Manchester. These provided for the number of seats in Greater Manchester to reduce by one from 28 to 27 in line with the decline in the electorate of Greater Manchester between 1991 and 2000. 1.3 In order to achieve this reduction it was necessary to change the grouping of boroughs as follows: Borough Number of Seats Bolton/Wigan 6 Bury 2 Manchester/Salford/Trafford 9 Oldham/Rochdale/Tameside 7 Stockport 3 __ 27 2. MANCHESTER/ SALFORD/ TRAFFORD 2.1 Manchester currently has 4 whole constituencies (Blackley, Central, Gorton and Withington) and the larger part of a fifth (Wythenshawe and Sale East). Salford currently has 2 whole constituencies (Salford and Eccles) and the larger part of a third (Worsley) which is shared with Wigan. Trafford currently has 2 whole constituencies (Stretford and Urmston and Altrincham and Sale West) and the smaller part of a third (Wythenshawe and Sale East). The BCE proposed to allocate 9 constituencies to the 3 boroughs as set out below. Manchester 2.2 The provisional recommendations allocated 3 whole constituencies to Manchester (Manchester Central, Manchester Gorton and Manchester Withington) and the larger part of two cross-border seats (Wythenshawe and Sale East, and Blackley and Broughton). 2.3 No change was proposed to the existing Wythenshawe and Sale East constituency, and Manchester Withington was changed only so as to realign ward and constituency boundaries. 2.4 Manchester Gorton is currently undersized. Therefore, in addition to including the six wards wholly or mainly within the existing seat, the BCE proposed to add Whalley Range ward, most of which is currently in Manchester Central. H:\COMMIT~1\Fileplan\DEMOCR~1\DECISI~1\COUNCI~1\FULLCO~1\Report\GM - Parliamentary Consituency Boundaries.doc 2.5 This transfer would leave Manchester Central undersized and therefore the BCE proposed to transfer Moston ward from the Manchester Blackley Constituency to Manchester Central. 2.6 The existing Manchester Blackley seat is already undersized and would be even more so with the removal of Moston ward. The BCE therefore proposed to link the two Salford wards of Broughton and Kersal with the remaining five wards of the Blackley Constituency, thereby using the River Irwell as a constituency boundary. To reflect this, the constituency would be named Blackley and Broughton . Salford 2.7 In addition to the cross-border seat, the BCE recommended 2 constituencies wholly within Salford. In effect, the existing Eccles would be abolished and its wards split between the Salford and Worsley seats. 2.8 The proposed new Salford and Eccles seat would include the five wards wholly or mainly in the existing Salford seat (after the transfer of Broughton and Kersal), plus four wards from Eccles. 2.9 The proposed new Worsley constituency would include the five Salford wards in the existing Worsley constituency, plus the remaining four wards from the Eccles seat. Trafford 2.10 In addition to the underchanged cross-border seat of Wythenshawe and Sale East, Trafford was allocated two whole constituencies – Altrincham and Sale West , and Stretford and Urmston which were changed only so as to re-align ward and constituency boundaries. 3. REPRESENTATIVES AND COUNTER-PROPOSALS 3.1 The City Council resolved to support the BCE proposal insofar as they affected Manchester. This position was backed by both the Labour and Liberal Democrat groups on the Council. 3.2 The BCE received many representations and several counter-proposals from political parties, local authorities and members of the public throughout Greater Manchester. Therefore, the BCE were obliged to call a local inquiry to consider the provisional recommendations relating to nine of the boroughs. The only exception was Bury where the provisional recommendations for two seats in the borough were generally supported and the BCE decided to confirm them as final recommendations. 3.3 There were two main county-wide counter-proposals – one from Trafford Borough Council and the Conservative Party and one from Salford City Council – and several more limited counter-proposals. H:\COMMIT~1\Fileplan\DEMOCR~1\DECISI~1\COUNCI~1\FULLCO~1\Report\GM - Parliamentary Consituency Boundaries.doc Trafford/ Conservative Counter-Proposal 3.4 This counter-proposal sought to group Manchester with Tameside and Oldham (rather than Trafford and Salford) and to abolish the Manchester Gorton Constituency rather than Eccles. It would have made major changes to the constituencies in Trafford and Manchester by recreating a Davyhulme seat, similar, (but not identical) to the one abolished in the previous review. 3.5 In Manchester, its main effect would have been to combine the two Didsbury wards with Wythenshawe, and place the two Gorton wards and Longsight in a cross-border seat with five Tameside wards. There would have been further minor changes consequential on the abolition of the Manchester Gorton seat. Salford Counter-Proposal 3.6 This counter-proposal also sought to preserve the Eccles constituency at the expense of a Manchester seat. It proposed major disruption in Manchester by putting Cheetham ward in the Salford seat, Charlestown ward in the Oldham West, and the Gorton North and Gorton South wards in a mainly Tameside seat. The remainder of the Manchester Blackley, Central and Gorton constituencies would be divided into two seats. Other Counter-Proposals 3.7 Other representations included several objections to the transfer of Whalley Range ward from Manchester Central to Manchester Gorton and a counter- proposal which suggested that Ardwick ward should be transferred instead. There were also objections to the transfer of Moston ward from Blackley to Manchester Central and a counter-proposal that Cheetham ward should be transferred instead. 4. LOCAL INQUIRY AND REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER 4.1 The local inquiry was held in Manchester Town Hall on twelve days between 31 October and 17 November 2005. It was conducted by the Assistant Commissioner, Mr Nicholas Elliott QC. 4.2 The City Council’s case in support of the BCE’s provisional recommendation for Manchester was prepared by a small team from the City Solicitor’s and Planning Sections and the Head of Planning gave evidence on behalf of the Council. 4.3 Following the local inquiry, the Assistant Commissioner prepared a lengthy report for the BCE which supported the provisional recommendations of the BCE in relation to Manchester, Salford and Trafford. The report accepted the arguments put forward by the Council, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democratic Party in favour of the BCE recommendations, and rejected the counter-proposals from Trafford and the Conservative Party and from Salford. It also rejected the counter-proposals in relation to Whalley Range and Moston Wards. The only change suggested by the Assistant Commissioner in relation to Manchester/ Salford/ Trafford related to the name of the Worsley constituency whilst he H:\COMMIT~1\Fileplan\DEMOCR~1\DECISI~1\COUNCI~1\FULLCO~1\Report\GM - Parliamentary Consituency Boundaries.doc proposed should be called Worsley and Eccles South to reflect the representations made at the inquiry that the four wards currently in the Eccles constituency did not have much affinity with Worsley. 4.4 The Assistant Commissioner also supported the BCE provisional recommendations for Bolton and Wigan. However, in the east of the county he recommended changes. In particular, he recommended that Rochdale should stand alone (rather than be grouped with Oldham and Tameside) and be allocated two seats. He also recommended that Stockport be grouped with Oldham