Boundary review: this is what the latest constituency proposals mean for Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde

The Boundary Commission for England last year published proposals that would see minor tweaks to the existing Blackpool South and Fylde seats – but a much bigger shift for Fleetwood, with the town breaking away from the Lancaster and Fleetwood constituency which has borne its name since 2010.

Residents, MPs and political parties were first asked for their views during the summer of 2021 and then got a second opportunity to have their say earlier this year, including at 32 public hearings held across the country - one of which was staged in Preston.

A final period of public consultation has now begun over revised plans, which attempt to address some of the concerns raised by residents in other parts of Lancashire, while still fulfilling the commission’s remit to ensure a more equal number of potential voters in each constituency.

However, the commission has not made any changes to its suggestions for the Fylde coast, which it says were “not particularly contentious” in this areaand received relatively few representations and proportionally little opposition.

The organisation is therefore still proposing that Fleetwood joins Cleveleys, Thornton and five wards from the Blackpool Council area to form a new Blackpool North and Fleetwood patch, in a return to the moniker given to a similar seat which existed between 1997 and 2010. That would be the new name for the existing Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency.

The sitting MP for the area, Paul Maynard, told The Gazette that he welcomed the unchanged proposals, adding: “I am sure that residents of Fleetwood will be glad to be reunited with the rest of the Fylde coast, as they are geographically.”

Meanwhile, it is proposed that the existing Blackpool South constituency is extended northwards in order to bring it within the required range for the size of the electorate in each seat - it is currently more than 13,000 potential voters shy of the new required minimum. To that end, it would take in the Claremont, Layton, Park, and Warbreck wards. The constituency would remain entirely within the Blackpool Council patch.

The Fylde seat is set to acquire three wards from the borough of Wyre - Breck, Hardhorn with High Cross, all from Poulton-le-Fylde - to ensure that it, too, has sufficient electors. The commission said that opposition to this aspect of its proposal centred on some residents of the Carleton ward who wanted to be included with Poulton’.

Under the plans, Fylde would also lose the Preston wards of Ingol and Cottam and the part of Lea and Larches that currently sits within its parliamentary borders.

The Boundary Commission for England’s review is being carried out on the basis of rules updated by Parliament in 2020, which require a more equal distribution of the UK’s 650 constituencies across all parts of the country. England will see an increase in its share of constituencies from 533 to 543 as a result.

The number of electors within each constituency also currently varies widely due to population changes since the last time the results of a boundary review were implemented at the 2010 General Election.

The ongoing review is charged with ensuring that almost all constituencies in England contain no fewer than 69,724 eligible voters and no more than 77,062, as at 2nd March 2020.

The public consultation on the commission's latest proposals runs until 5th December. Comments relating to the Lancashire area can be made online here, where constituency maps are also available to assist residents in giving feedback.

Tim Bowden, Secretary to the Boundary Commission for England, said: “Last year, we published our initial proposals for new constituency boundaries - our first go at what the map should look like.

“We are delighted with the huge number of comments from members of the public on our initial proposals, many which included valuable evidence about local communities.

“Today’s publication is the culmination of months of analysis and we have revised nearly half of our initial proposals based on what people have told us. We now believe we are close to the best map of constituencies that can be achieved under the rules we are working to.

“However, we still want people to tell us what they think of this latest map before we submit our final recommendations to Parliament next year. This is our final consultation and I encourage you to participate in the 2023 Boundary Review.”

After the consultation closes, the commission will draw up its final recommendations, which must be presented to the Speaker of the House of Commons by 1st July next year.

Within four months of the last report being laid by the boundary commissions for each of the four nations, the government is required to submit to the Privy Council an order that gives effect to all of their recommendations.

No further changes can be made, unless specifically requested by the relevant commission - and any such request would itself have to be laid before Parliament and published.

The new constituencies take effect at the next General Election after the Privy Council approves the order. Any by-elections held in the meantime have to be conducted on the basis of the existing constituency boundaries.