Radical East Lancashire constituency boundary changes proposed

The Boundary Commission’s proposals, which will affect all of England and Wales, would see the number of Lancashire seats from 16 to 14.

Three East Lancashire constituencies - Hyndburn, Rossendale & Darwen, and Pendle - will be wiped off the political map.

It would mean MPs Graham Jones, Andrew Stephenson and Jake Berry would have to look for a new constituency.

Towns and villages in those areas will be absorbed into both new and existing patches.

The new constituencies will be Burnley North and Nelson; Burnley South and Accrington; Darwen and Haslingden; and Rochdale North and Rawtenstall.

Ribble Valley, Blackburn and Chorley will remain, though with some changes.

The towns of Accrington, Burnley and Rawtenstall will each be split between two different constituencies.

The Spring Hill area of Accrington and Rishton will move to the new Darwen and Haslingden ward when the Hyndburn constituency is dissolved, while Great Harwood would move to Burnley South and Accrington.

Pendle towns Barnoldswick and Earby, which were in Yorkshire until 1974, will now find themselves in the Ribble Valley constituency with part of Preston.

And Longridge would be transferred to the Lancaster constituency.

The Boundary Commission for England is an independent and impartial non-departmental public body responsible for reviewing constituency boundaries.

It was tasked with conducting its latest review on the basis of new rules laid down by Parliament.

These rules involved a significant reduction in the number of seats in England, from 533 to 502 and the total number of MPs from 650 to 600.

A consultation period, which allows people to have their say on the initial proposals, begins today and is set to remain open until December 5.

Darwen and Haslingden

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The area is planned to include wards from three council boroughs: Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and Rossendale.

The Darwen wards include Earcroft, East Rural, Marsh House, North Turton with Tockholes, Sudell, Sunnyhurst and Whitehall.

Also included are Baxenden, Church, Rishton, Immanuel, St Andrew’s, St Oswald’s and Spring Hill, which are in Hyndburn Borough Council area.

And making up the rest of the constituency are Cribden, Eden, Goodshaw, Greenfield, Helmshore, Longholme and Worsley, from Rossendale.

Burnley South and Accrington

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A new seat which would consist of parts of Burnley and Hyndburn.

It includes Burnley’s Brunshaw, Cliviger with Worsthorne, Coal Clough with Deerplay, Gannow, Gawthorpe, Hapton with Park, Rosegrove with Lowerhouse, Rosehill with Burnley Wood, Trinity and Whittlefield with Ightenhill wards.

Hyndburn’s Altham, Barnfield, Central, Clayton-le-Moors, Huncoat, Milnshaw, Netherton, Overton and Peel wards are also included in the seat.

Burnley North and Nelson

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Every one of the current Pendle wards would be absorbed in this new seat, except for the West Craven areas set to join the Ribble Valley.

It will cover Bank Hall, Briercliffe, Daneshouse with Stoneyholme, Lanehead and Queensgate, in Burnley.

The Pendle wards include those in Nelson, Colne, Brierfield, Reedley, Barrowford and the Western Parishes and villages in Pendleside.

Ribble Valley

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The Conservative stronghold would grow to include parts of Pendle and Preston, but has lost other areas to South Ribble and a new Lancaster seat.

Barnoldswick’s Coates and Craven wards would join the Ribble Valley along with Earby. Preston’s Fishwick ward will also join the constituency.

But villages Ribchester, Longridge and Chipping will form part of a new Lancaster seat and Lostock Hall and Tardy Gate will go to South Ribble.

The seat will now cover four different local authority areas.

Rochdale North and Rawtenstall

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The introduction of this new seat would see seven Rossendale wards grouped together with Greater Manchester areas.

Parts of Rawtenstall, Bacup, Whitworth and the surrounding villages will be included in the constituency.

The wards include Facit and Shawforth, Greensclough, Hareholme, Healey and Whitworth, Irwell, Stacksteads and Whitewell.

Blackburn

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The proposed new constituency would be expanded to include part of the Fernhurst ward, which is currently in Darwen and Rossendale.

Chorley

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Chorley will be restored to include Croston, Eccleston and Mawdesley, meaning it will correspond with the borough council’s boundaries.