Parliament boundary changes: Splitting of Chester seat condemned

There has been cross-party condemnation of plans to split the City of Chester between two parliamentary constituencies.

The Boundary Commission for England is proposing to abolish the current city-wide seat as part of a national review.

Chester's Labour MP Chris Matheson said he was "disappointed" by the plan, whilst local Conservative chairman Neil Sullivan said he was "perplexed".

The commission said the River Dee provided a "clear geographic boundary".

The proposals for Chester are part of a shake-up of England's electoral map which the commission said would make Parliament fairer by giving each MP a roughly similar number of voters.

Elsewhere in Cheshire, the proposals would see the marginal Weaver Vale seat abolished and divided between two new seats.

One would include Frodsham, Helsby and Runcorn, a town which is currently split between the constituencies of Weaver Vale and Halton, while the other new seat would take Northwich from Weaver Vale and most of Winsford from Eddisbury.

The Halton constituency would also be abolished, with Widnes accommodated in a new seat with Halewood, Whiston and Cronton in neighbouring Knowsley.

The traditionally marginal seat of Warrington South would lose Lymm to the Tatton constituency, because the commission said its population is "considerably over" the 77,062 limit set by Parliament.

In its report accompanying its proposals, the commission said it "sought not to divide Chester", but added "the difficulties caused by not dividing the city... are considerable, with knock-on effects throughout both Cheshire West and Chester, and the Wirral".

The city north of the River Dee would become part of a new constituency stretching to Neston, whilst the city south of the river will be merged with the Eddisbury seat and renamed South Cheshire, stretching east to the fringes of Nantwich and south to the boundary with Shropshire.

Ellesmere Port, having lost Neston, will become part of a constituency which will also take in Bromborough, Eastham and New Ferry in Wirral.

Mr Matheson told the BBC he was "disappointed the Boundary Commission is proposing to break up the historic City of Chester constituency, but the rules the Conservative government gave to the commission... has left it with little room to manoeuvre".

Mr Sullivan, speaking in a personal capacity, said he "would prefer Chester had a single constituency".

The Conservative association chairman, who lives south of the river, added that while it was a difficult task to balance out the numbers and make it work... my initial reaction is I'm a bit perplexed".

David Peake, co-owner of the Square Blades rowing shop on the southern bank of the Dee in Handbridge, said the area "totally is Chester, it's as simple as that".

"We're just next door to the city centre," he said.

"If the MP for Chester puts pressure on the council to do something in Chester which potentially could have a negative effect in Handbridge, then where does that leave us?"

Jennifer Crew, who lives in Westminster Park in Chester, said that while she knew "we're south of the river... that shouldn't make a difference".

"We share the same services as residents in the north of the city," she added.

"Why should that be changed for a numbers game?"

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