The name of Salford is set to be wiped off the parliamentary map in a boundary review that has sparked outrage among local MPs.
Proposals unveiled by the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) today would reduce the number of MPs in Greater Manchester from 27 to 24.
A further two seats would straddle the borders with Lancashire and Cheshire.
The most dramatic recommendation is the abolition of the Salford & Eccles and Worsley & Eccles South seats – leaving former cabinet minister Hazel Blears and Barbara Keeley to battle it out over a new Swinton constituency.
David Ottewell: Boundary shake-up is crass, wrong, and a kick in the teeth
Other parts of Salford – including Salford Quays, Weaste, Langworthy and Ordsall – would become part of the Manchester Central constituency, which itself would lose Moss Side to Manchester Gorton.
This map shows the outline of the proposed Manchester Central constituency including the four wards that were previously part of Salford & Eccles.
Ms Blears described the plans as ‘an insult to the people of Salford’. She said: “These proposals rip the heart out of Salford and seek to destroy our 1,000-year-old city.
“They put Salford University into Manchester, they put Salford Quays into Manchester and they even put Salford Cathedral into Manchester.
“The Tory-appointed commission members have clearly never left London when drawing up these gerrymandered proposals and they are more to do with improving the Conservatives’ election chances than serving the voters of Salford.
“These proposals make little geographic or historic sense, and I hope the people of Salford will speak out loudly and clearly against these disgraceful plans.”
Walkden and Irlam – currently part of the Worsley seat – are set to go to Andy Burnham’s Leigh constituency.
Oldham West, currently held by Michael Meacher, would be effectively eliminated under the proposals.
Oldham East and Saddleworth would be extended west to become just Oldham and Saddleworth.
Hazel Grove, currently held by the Lib Dems’ Andrew Stunell, would cross the Cheshire boundary to become Hazel Grove and Poynton.
It would also take in the Stepping Hill area from the neighbouring Cheadle seat.
Rochdale is set to undergo radical change, splitting into two seats – Rochdale North and Rawtenstall, which will cross the Lancashire border, and Rochdale South, including Royton and Shaw.
Didsbury – currently in Lib Dem-held Manchester Withington – would become part of Wythenshawe.
Meanwhile parts of Sale which are currently linked to Wythenshawe are due to go to the Tories’ Altrincham and Sale constituency.
Blackley and Broughton would lose Charlestown but gain Moston, while the three Bolton seats would be altered and renamed Bolton North, Bolton South and Westhoughton.
George Osborne’s Tatton seat disappears under the plans, split between Macclesfield and Northwich – and leaving the chancellor facing a selection battle at the next general election.
The proposals were drawn up by BCE as the government seeks to reduce the number of MPs by 50. New rules mean no constituency must have an electorate smaller than 72,810 or larger than 80,473.
Only nine per cent of north west constituencies – including Bury South and Wigan – have remained unchanged in the shake-up. Final recommendations will be made to government by October 2013.
David Ottewell: Boundary shake-up is crass, wrong, and a kick in the teeth
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When a shooting happens, or a serious crime or criminal is in the paper, they say shooting in Salford or "Salford Gangster" but when something positive happens in Salford like a certain cyclist he/ they are suddenly from greater Manchester or even " Manchester based athlete" Salford has it's own identity and it should be kept. I am from Manchester not Salford or greater Manchester. Am I the only person who thinks they get a bad deal?
Didsbury into Wythenshawe ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I can hear the cries from here!
everytime i see hazel blears it makes me think of mps as in it for what they can get out of it"!!!!!
there will be no Salford soon!!! they are closing the maternity unit in Salford, so only babies born at home will be Salfordians , now no seat in parliament!!! wiping Salford off the map, will the next move be the renaming of Salford Quays to Manchester Quays?????
well at least it*s of hazel blears, which is more than the people of salford had the sense to do.
the fiddler on the roof.
Ashton town centre is also not in the Ashton Seat!
Ashton town centre is also not in the Ashton Seat!
Just wait until the insurers get hold of this, another excuse for increasing costs !!!
What do you expect? - the turnout in Salford is normally poor and when they do turn out they return an MP that everyone else would send packing. She's presented her own constituency on a silver platter through her own behaviour with the help of an apathetic and largely disinterested vote.
Isn't Hazel Blears ‘an insult to the people of Salford’?
I totall agree with "sesor enots" - Manchester always tries to take the glory for the good in Salford and leaves Salford with all the bad news. Salford is a City in its own right - leave well alone - Salfordian and proud of it!!!!!
Anything that cuts the amount of MP's has got my support.
Stop voting and you'll get the attention the nation craves from politician's.
Less of them at the trough then
The commission has clearly shown a great deal of contempt for the people of Salford which is what Hazel Blears normally does.
Lets hope the people of Salford "speak out loudly and clearly" and rid themselves of this awful woman.
The reforms show a great deal of contempt for the people of Salford, much as Hazel Blears normally does.
Lets hope the people of Salford "speak out loudly and clearly" and rid themselves of this sleazy little woman.
I was under the impression that Salford was now a city in it's own right, am I mistaken? If I'm not, how can you just pretend a city doesn't exist? That said, I think I would stretch to such lengths as wiping out a city if it meant a legal way of sacking Blears!
And Didsbury as part of Wythenshawe, hilarious! That's brightened a rather bad start to my day.
Whatever the general merits of this proposed shake-up of parliamentary constituencies may or may not be, anything which offers the possibility of removing Hazel Blears from the green benches strikes me as having something positive to be said for it ...
As a Salford resident I agree with sesor enots- even MediaCity has suddenly become Manchester, not Salford. The worrying thing is what would happen to Salford City council? Is this another way for the condemns to cut funds to the Greater Manchester region?
Still on te bright side, it might be our chance to finally get rid of Hazel Blears.
Oldham is reduced to one seat while Rochdale becomes two - that just doesn't make any sense.
lets face it this article is political not realy about salford ,, more to worry about for Mrs blears,,, and as the politicians remind us theres nothing wrong with competition,,,, it will just mean they will have to put in more effort for there generous salaries
Oldham reduced to one constituency - with Saddleworth - and Rochdale having two - including Royton, which is part of Oldham. Weird.
Also what have Saddleworth and Glodwick/Hathershaw got in common?
Reducing the number of M.P."s down to 600 makes sense. You cannot do this without upsetting some people. However when money is tight, we don't need to spend it on keeping 650 M.P.'s
Grouping and Centralisation = more control for the government
Where I live ceased to exist years ago, I still live there...it just doesn't seem to exist politically anymore, also where I was born has moved, I always thought of myself as a Lancashire lad now apparently I'm a Greater Mancunian...all decided by some southern softie named Gerry Man...something, who has never set foot in my part of the world but is trying to work out how to stop us actually voting for the representative we want and thus manipulate us a little further away from OUR tax money...