Planned changes to Greater Manchester’s electoral map will ‘wipe out 30 years of hard work’, according to a town hall boss.
Barbara Spicer, chief executive of Salford council, argued against altering the region’s parliamentary boundaries during a public hearing into the plans.
The Boundary Commission intends to abolish the Salford and Eccles and Worsley and Eccles South seats, held by Hazel Blears and Barbara Keeley, and replace them with one Swinton seat – wiping the name of Salford from the parliamentary map. The changes would see the number of MPs in Greater Manchester reduced from 27 to 24.
Ms Spicer told the hearing that having a Salford constituency had helped regenerate the city. She said that, according to projected population growth figures, Greater Manchester will require more, not fewer, constituencies in the future.
She also warned that the changes would cause problems during combined elections as voters would be split between up to three local authorities. Ms Spicer, speaking after the hearing, told the M.E.N: “Members of all political parties have worked hard to promote the city of Salford. Salford Quays, MediaCityUK, The Lowry – these are all major successes delivered by the city and its key stakeholders and partners.
“The council and partners have worked hard to strengthen civic pride and a sense of communities bringing people together with tremendous success. The boundary review, if implemented, would wipe out 30 years at one stroke.”
Andy Burnham’s Leigh seat would also be carved up under the proposed changes, handing much of the town to a new Westhoughton constituency with part of Bolton.
Former GMP Chief Superintendent and local businessman Trevor Barton MBE said the proposals had ‘offended the people of Leigh.’
He added: “The process has been skewed. Leigh has a culture and an identity. Why does the community of Leigh need to be broken into three?”
Mr Barton added that a Facebook page to ‘keep Leigh in Leigh’ has attracted more than 60,000 visitors.
He said that campaigners are planning to form a human chain around Leigh town hall in protest at the proposed changes this Saturday.
An e-petition to Downing Street, objecting to the proposals, has been accepted by on the government’s website.
To sign the e-petition visit epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/18604.
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Ms Spicer refers to Salford Quays when in fact Salford Council agreed to be part of a joint commerical initiative for it to be branded as the Quays.
In any case a lot of people who come under Salford, i.e. the occupied territories of Swinton, Eccles, Worsley, Walkden, etc., had no choice in the matter either. And if that had been put do a vote I doubt very much they wold have wanted to.
I spoke to a Londoner recently who has little idea of the local boundary politics and as far as Salford was concerned, his views was that it was a rougher suburb of Manchester which was at the forefront of the riots.
Great if it means 3 less pigs feeding from the trough of cash that we dish up
''Leigh has a culture and identity''.............
Pie eaters!!! lol
Hysterical nonsense. Its a change to a parliamentary boundary. Its used once every five years. What has it got to do with civic pride (whatever that is). The gaulieters of Salford Council are quite happy lording it over Swinton, Worsley, Pendlebury, all of which were independent boroughs up to 1974. What happened to their civic pride? No it is about vested interests.
"The council and partners have worked hard to strengthen civic pride and a sense of communities bringing people together with tremendous success". Yes that was clearly the case during the Salford Riots. The good burghers of Salford were so full of civic pride they couldn't wait to smash the place up and loot everything that wasn't nailed to the floor. What planet is Ms. Spicer on?
Parliamentatry boundary reviews have nothing at all to do with local government. Ms Spicer should stick to her day job in delivering effective and economic services to the ratepayers of her municipality and leave parliamentary issues to those people the UK voters have elected to manage them.
the government as said we all need to work harder,,, what make the MPs different ,,, a few less will make them more eager to win votes,,, bit like pubs or shops ,,, only the strong survive,, the rest go to the wall,,
This '30 years of hard work'.Wht does that entail and who did it? not her, I bet.
At least Salford University have seen the light with their new logo
30 Years hard work doesn't mean 30 years good work.
Civic pride ? what a load of tripe!
One wonders whether the real threat identified by Ms Spicer is to her £201,329 salary
Roll on Sir Howard taking over Salford!
A far greater loss of identity, good service and civic pride occurred when Salford annexed Eccles, Swinton, Worsley et al in the 1970s.
My only regret will probably be having to pay the even more extortionate council tax for Manchester.
As for losing 30 years of "hard work", if that's Salford council "hard work" then that could be sorted out by a small group of willing and competent volunteers,,,, in about half an hour !!
Oh Manchester, is wonderful
Oh Manchester is wonderful,,,,,
Lived within what is currently Salford boundary nearly all my life. The essential services provided now are worse now than prior to 1974 when the best parts of the city were local boroughs AND ratepayers didn't have to fund outrageous and totally needless jobs and salaries. So as far as I'm concerned lets just close Salford council and merge it all with Manchester with no increase in staff except for proven essential services which most certainly does not include administration and Gobsworths like the current lot running Salford either as councillors or council employees.
the civil servants in London would be laughing their little socks off with the local people up here insulting not only their own city but their neighbours has well...we are doing their job for them...
Salford and Manchester, Ashton/Stretford/Oldham/Prestwich/Wigan/Leigh have an independant history, even before 1066 , but those pen pushers look at a map of our area and only see a mass grouping of a post industrial landscape...
a Manchester-Salford MP will find themselves in conflict with one of the two cities on certain issues and will be unable to represent their own constituancy properly.
The 1974 changes which expanded the City of Salford could now be its death knoll, as many people from those areas still have no illegance to their City and look to Manchester..
even though they have never in our local history been associated with Manchester..
People in Salford don't want this change to happen.
Why can't the Boundary Commission see this.
When they drew up the plans, why did they not suggest changing Manchester to Salford? it is just plain ignorance on their behalf. They think the whole of the north west, east of the M6 corridor, is in Manchester.
If you are opposed to the change please sign the following petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/17031
Or even make your own views known to the BCE:
http://consultation.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/have-your-say/step-1/
Say NO to Boundary Commission proposals!
Barbara Spicer's paid about twice what the Prime Minister takes home, you'd think she'd at least have a sense of irony!
She may as well have said, "How dare the Boundary Commission suddenly try to slap a false label on the people of Salford, we at Salford City Council have been doing it to the people of Swinton, Worsley, Eccles, Irlam and Walkden for 30 YEARS".....
Perhaps now Spicer at al, if they could see past the end of their noses, might just realise community isn't best defined by where some beaurocrat at the Boundary Commission who has no background knowledge draws a line. If they did see the light surely we would see the end of "IN Salford" garbage place branding!! But I won't hold my breath!!
They don't care what you say as long as they can preserve their own domain, they don't even have to convince people to vote labour because most of the population just bleat their way to the polling booth to get sheared once again.
So go on vote Labour again and show the rest of the country just how amazingly stupid you can be.