Cross-party support to keep Teesdale united

Divided line: The proposed boundary changes

UNITED condemnation has met a proposal to split Teesdale down the middle.
Barnard Castle Town Council has shunned moves to shift the current wards, Barnard Castle West and East, into
separate parliamentary constituencies. The council has won local cross-party support on its stance.
Town mayor Cllr John Blissett went to Darlington last Thursday to voice the town council’s disapproval of the Boundary Commission’s plan.
Members agreed that Teesdale should remain united with Barnard Castle West put in a suggested seat called “Bishop Auckland and Teesdale”.
Tory county councillor Richard Bell threw his full support behind the town council amendments to the proposals currently on the table. He added: “The simplest thing to do would be to keep Barnard Castle West into Bishop Auckland constituency and Willington and Hunwick into the North West Durham seat.
“Hopefully they will accept that logic – if the town council agrees with that or something very similar it can only be a good thing.”
County councillor James Rowlandson agreed.
“Teesdale is Teesdale – it’s not half of Teesdale,” he said.
“It’s its own place and should remain so. We should fight tooth and nail to keep it that way.”
Labour town councillor Judi Sutherland said Bishop Auckland was no longer a safe seat, suggesting it would be tightly fought over by Labour, the Conservatives and UKIP.
When it came to the boundaries, she pointed to Bishop Auckland as Barnard Castle and Teesdale’s nearest centre of gravity.
“When you need services Bishop Auckland is the place you go,” said Cllr Sutherland.
“It’s the natural focus of our community which is why I agree with Richard Bell.
“Any MP fighting Bishop Auckland is likely to be fighting for us – in West Durham the focus of the population is 50 miles from Bowes in Blaydon and Consett – we have nothing in common with those people.”
Former town councillor John Watson told last Monday’s town council meeting it was “extraordinary” for a rural community to be split in two.
But he thought the current boundary situation was “unsatisfactory”.
“Barnard Castle would better be served in the proposed rural North West ward where no one community dominates and rural concerns are shared.”
Phil Hunt, from Teesdale’s Labour party, fully supported Cllr Bell’s proposed solution but suggested Darlington as a possible boundary bedfellow.
However, county councillor George Richardson wasn’t a fan of the Darlington suggestion.
Cllr Bell added: “We think Barnard Castle should not be split – if we do not get what we ask for, that should be the emphasis of our response.”