THE Government has said it wants to change Lancashire's boundaries again. Two East Lancashire MPs are already at odds over one proposed change and a public inquiry is due to be held next year.

But will it make any difference to the lives of ordinary people? DANNY BRIERLEY reports. . .

THE last time anybody bothered to count there were 1,084,275 people in Lancashire and 15 Parliamentary constituencies - with an average of 72,285 voters in each.

The Government has decided that is too many and has re-drawn our boundaries in order to accommodate another seat.

The biggest proposed changes in East Lancashire will see the Ribble Valley swallow 10 wards from South Ribble and Jack Straw's Blackburn will lose parts of some wards to Janet Anderson's Rossendale and Darwen constituency. Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle would remain unaffected.

The Foreign Secretary and Mrs Anderson, both Labour MPs, have been accused of political manoeuvring to try to avoid being given a ward full of Tory voters in the Fernhurst area.

Mr Straw said he believes the new ward - which takes in parts of Lower Darwen, Ewood and Earcroft - has a natural affinity with Mrs Anderson's seat and Mrs Anderson, in turn, believes the ward has always been associated with Blackburn.

Both MPs have sent representation to the Boundary Commission which will be considered during the public inquiry next year.

Members of the public have also been invited to make their feelings known at the inquiry at County Hall in Preston.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope believes people are mainly concerned with "bread and butter" issues and less about which Parliamentary seat they are included in.

Mr Pope said: "The top issues that people raise with me are about what affects them and their families. They want to know which political party will make them better off, which will offer them the greatest job security and how their local schools are being run.

"The main changes will be in the north west of the county, near Lancaster, so people in East Lancashire will not be affected too much."

East Lancashire's lone Conservative MP Nigel Evans stands to lose 20,000 voters in the Fulwood area, which would be replaced with people from wards in South Ribble.

Mr Evans said it was important for people to take part in the debate. "It is their representation we are talking about. MPs have views but it is up to the people themselves to have their say."

And according to the Ribble Valley MP there are concerns about preserving traditional rural and urban boundaries.

He added: "What they are proposing does not appear to have been done with any logic. A lot of people are concerned that the Ribble Valley, which is rural and suburban, is not being matched with wards of a similar nature.

"Bamber Bridge, for instance, is one of the areas they are looking to include in my ward but it does not look towards rural areas and the people there would probably look towards Preston and Chorley."

While some of his Parliamentary colleagues have been accused of political manoeuvring Mr Evans denies he is merely concerned about how many voters he stands to lose.

"I have actually done the figures for this and I would probably end up with the same majority, but it would be over Labour instead of the Liberal Democrats. The big losers here are the Lib Dems."

As well as Mr Evans, the Boundary Commission is also keen for people to make their feelings known. A spokesman said the result was not a foregone conclusion: "The Commission published proposals on June 19, recommending that the combined counties of Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen, and Blackpool should be allocated an additional, sixteenth, seat.

"Objections made about these proposals have required the holding of a local inquiry under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986.

"The inquiry will be held in public and any interested person, whether a supporter of or objector to the Commission's proposals may attend and be heard.

"The Commission would urge all interested parties to attend and make their views known.

"It should not be assumed that the inquiry will only discuss those matters raised in representations submitted during the representation period allowed nor that the Commission's provisional recommendations will remain unchanged.

"On many occasions, following consideration of the evidence submitted at the inquiry the Commission have revised their recommendations."