'Daft' proposal to split Teesdale in two is dropped

A BID to split Teesdale’s constituency down the middle has been dropped.

The Boundary Commission had planned to give Barnard Castle two MPs with Market Place and Newgate facing the possibility of having two MPs from different parties.

But the proposal, branded “ridiculous” at the time, has been binned with fresh plans indicating little change to Teesdale’s existing Bishop Auckland seat. A report by the Boundary Commission revealed its officers were convinced splitting the Barnard Castle East and West wards would be “divisive and damaging”.

It pointed to evidence provided by Ian Moorhouse, from the Mid Teesdale Project Partnership, and Barnard Castle town councillor Dr Richard Child as particularly relevant.

Proposals unveiled late last year were derided as “madness” and “daft” with a campaign group, Keep Teesdale United, launched in response to it. Conservative county councillor Richard Bell was pleased with the revised effort. He said: “The latest recommendations are what I and Teesdale Conservatives argued for in that the dale is kept together and the constituency is not much disrupted. It’s a victory for common sense.”

The revised seat would see Brancepath, Hunwick, Willington and Sunnybrow added to the constituency with Kirk Merrington moved out into Billingham and Sedgefield.

However, total seat numbers in the North East would be cut from 29 to 25 under the plans. Phil Hunt, from Teesdale Labour Party, also welcomed the changes for Teesdale’s seat but had doubts about how far any fresh boundary proposals would go.

He added: “It was totally nonsensical and went against the Boundary Commission’s own stated aims in that it divided a community.

“Will this go through? I’m not sure – it has a detrimental affect on a number of Tory MPs and I guess 25 seats are likely to go.

“Given that she [Theresa May] does not have a majority at present, I suspect this is going to get kicked into the long grass.”

Teesdale’s Labour MP. Helen Goodman. had some reservations about the proposals and their effects at Westminster.

She said: “Obviously Labour does not believe it is right that the number of MPs be reduced by 50, especially given the 300 extra peers the Tories have appointed. Nonetheless, if this measure does go ahead these proposals are sensible and I am glad splitting Barney is off the table.”

The Boundary Commission proposals will be put into action next year. Public comments on the revised plans are open until December 11.