I have more news for you on the Boundary Commission’s proposals for Birkenhead. You may remember that two weeks ago the Boundary Commission published potential new seats for the whole of England. The Wirral was obviously affected.
Parliament gave the Commission it's terms of reference. Previous Commissions, when setting constituency boundaries, had to take into account such important matters as local communities and natural boundaries, like rivers and motorways. This time the Commissioners were told to draw seats of equal size.
Three of the Commission's proposals for the Wirral are generally sensible. Wallasey has an identity and this is protected. And so too does Birkenhead, except for the proposal to move Bidston Ward into Wallasey.
There are a considerable number of Tory voters in Wirral and the Commission created a seat that will generally return a Tory member. The three other seats will usually return Labour members including the Mersey Bank seat which has a strange geographical shape.
Birkenhead Labour Party met last Friday and agreed unanimously to support the Commission's proposals, providing the Bidston Ward comes back into Birkenhead. This will require Birkenhead surrendering one of the additional wards it has been allocated.
The local Labour Party also agreed unanimously to write to the National Party saying that its alternative proposals for Wirral, with three constituencies running from the Mersey to the Dee, do not have Birkenhead’s support and cannot be presented to the Commission as a consensus view of our area. We are determined to protect Birkenhead’s identity.
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