West Cumbria may lose MP in boundary shake-up
Last updated at 09:12, Tuesday, 16 October 2012
West Cumbria could lose an MP in a shake-up of the county's constituencies.
Weblink (opens in new window): Map showing proposed West Cumbria constituency
Weblink (new window): Map showing proposed Carlisle constituency
Weblink (new window): Map showing proposed Penrith and Solway constituency
Weblink (new window): Map showing proposed Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency
Weblink (new window): Map showing proposed Barrow and Furness constituency
The Boundary Commission for England wants to cut the number of constituencies to help reduce the country’s 650 MPs to 600.
New proposals unveiled by the Commission today now show one single constituency for west Cumbria, covering an area from Maryport to Gosforth.
At the moment Workington has one MP, Tony Cunningham, and Copeland has the other MP, Jamie Reed.
Under the new proposals one of these MPs would go and there would be just one MP covering the whole of west Cumbria.
Penrith and the Border would become Penrith and the Solway stretching all the way over from Silloth and Aspatria in the west to Alston Moor. This constituency would also take in Cockermouth, currently part of Workington. It will also include Dalston and Keswick.
Writing on Twitter this morning Rory Stewart MP for Penrith and the Border said: “It seems like a good proposal, reflecting Cumbrian geography and communities.”
Carlisle’s constituency, led by John Stevenson MP, would stretch north up to the Border taking in Longtown and Kershopefoot.
The scheme faces stiff opposition in the House of Commons next year with Liberal Democrats – angered by Tory backbench rejection of Lords reform plans – vowing to vote against it.
There will be a further round of consultations by the commission before the proposals have to be submitted to Parliament next October.
Draft proposals for Cumbria last year were condemned by all the main political parties.
The proposals have been criticised because of the cost and whether or not the idea will ever reach the House of Commons.
People can comment on the revised proposals during a consultation that runs until December 10. The commission will make its final recommendations by October 1, 2013.
First published at 07:42, Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
As most of our laws are now coming from the EU/Brussels, 76% at last count, the question "do we need MPs at all" should be the one people should be asking.Which is why the people of the UK should be having a referendum.To be governed by Westminster or Brussels? Westminster has so few powers these days (something that Carlisle MP as discovered, and highlighted recently in the "News & Star")just think how much money that would save the taxpayer.
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British laws are made in Britain, not Strasbourg, Brussles or elsewwhere. It is LONDON who decides what happens in Workington, Maryport and Whitehaven. Perhaps the change of boubndries should be based upon surface area, not the number of streets in London or other geet big city.
Posted by orange peel on 24 October 2012 at 18:49