Let the great boundary rejig commence

[doktorb]

Ecclesfield?

[doktorb]

On my way through East Lancs, now.  Don't all shout at once, but I think this could be done WITHOUT crossing into Gtr Manchester after all...

Pendle and Burnley North (78,931)
I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW. Just hold on. I didn't want to split Ribble Valley, the wards are too awkward, so I looked at the boroughs of the East, realised they were all fairly undersized, so have tried to work out what best to do by taking wards in-and-out, and this was the best result I could draw (for now). This takes three Burnley wards - Lanehead, Queensgate, and Daneshouse. I didn't go for Briercliffe, my first option, because that closed down options for other seats.

Burnley and Accrington (77,316)
The rest of the Burnley borough, all of it, plus Accrington ('cept Church ward, which I will assume looks towards Clayton-le-Moors........doesn't it?)


So no......rest of Hyndburn, do your worst.......

[doktorb]

Harry, I'll message you what I have for western Lancashire later on, see if I can work out that sort of thing, get all the prep done for 2011 !

[doktorb]

Yeah, I had an earlier idea to combine Cumbria with Lancashire, but it doesn't seem to work. I'm not sure of the extent of Westmorland or Lonsdale, so an attempted Lonsdale/Lunesdale tie-in to maintain Lancaster & Morecambe was a non-starter....

[doktorb]

I'm stuck in Blackburn now. If I keep Burnley and Accrington, which I want to keep because Pendle is such a nightmare, then that leaves chunks of Hyndburn in need of a partner. Rossendale is just too.....Daley......and I have plans to involve Bury.....so I'm stumped. How much of "Blackburn"  IS "Blackburn" ?

[doktorb]

You see, I have caused myself no end of bother with Wigan.  I have a perfectly sized West Lancashire....but only if two wards are taken out and put into Wigan (this was when I thought the new Electoral Quota was going to be closer to 80,000).

So now I will have to cross Wigan with Bolton, using whole wards (I really am not confident or comfortable with splitting wards when I don't have the data). At the mo, Wigan, Makerfield, and Leigh, all have around 80,000 (Makerfield 82!)

If I find splitting wards unavoidable, then it opens up the question "Why didn't I split wards before".... I am not looking forward to sorting Gtr Manchester out at all!

[doktorb]

I have not looked at my proposals today, but I may well need to cross Wigan-Bolton to sustain Wigan-West Lancs.

As it goes, my current state of play in Lancs is:

1) Lancaster and Morecambe
2) Valleys of Ribble and Lune
3) Fleetwood and Bispham
4) Blackpool
5) Fylde
6) Preston
7) South Ribble
West Lancashire
9) Chorley
10) Pendle and Burnley North
11) Burnley and Accrington

Which leaves me with

1) The whole of Blackburn borough
2) The whole of Rossendale borough
3) Most of Hyndburn borough

Out of which to get....3....seats? Or 4? I will begin again tomorrow....

[doktorb]

Ah, I've missed out Wyre and Preston North, so that's 12 with 3 bits left to play with

[doktorb]

I have Chorley at 76,046 - using December figures?

[doktorb]

Ah, heh, no probs. I couldn't possibly use scraps of paper, Excel is cluttered enough as it is !

[doktorb]

I will look at this today. What's the figures for the borough of Blackburn with Darwen? If I can combine Rossendale with the  bits of Hyndburn left over, and create two seats out of BwD, I won't have to move into Gtr Manchester at all....

[doktorb]

I am a bit stuck with East Lancs. This what I've done, any advice would be great. I am particularly in need of some guidance on the geography of the areas at the north of Bury and Rochdale, to see how I can match up Darwen or Rossendale.

I am sticking with Pendle and Burnley North, it in the quota, and as I refuse to split Ribble Valley, it's all I can do.

Burnley and Accrington seemed to be a good idea, but now I am stuck. Blackburn is of an awkward size and shape, especially the huge rectangle of a ward at the west. I have tried "Blackburn and Rishton" (well, it was either that or "Blackburn and Clayton-le-Moors") but that forces me to go down "Rest of Blackburn and Darwen" and "Rossendale plus Rochdale or Bury" and I don't know how further go down that route.

[doktorb]

Think you might be right about my South Ribble - I have it as 76,429.....but I fear that may be worked out with JUST Bamber Bridge North, not the whole of Brig.

DAMN DAMN BLAST BUGGER!

[doktorb]

Plans for tomorrow then  :

Scrap West Lancs, Wigan/Makerfield/Leigh, Chorley, South Ribble

Re work the Lancs bits, consider Blackburn+Chorley as way out of current log-jam.

Praise Allah we have until December to fathom all this out.

[doktorb]

Right, here goes:

South Ribble (76,190)[/b ]
The borough of South Ribble, minus Brig, Walton-le-Dale, Salmlesbury, Coupe Green
Plus Lostock, and Euxton wards from Chorley
Possible alternative name - South Ribble and West Chorley (which is UGLY as sin)

West Lancashire (76,704)
The borough of West Lancashire minus Parbold, Wrightington, Newburgh

Chorley and Wrightington (75,692)
Borough of Chorley minus Lostock and Euxton
Plus Parbold, Wrightington, Newburgh.
Possible different name - Chorley and South West Lancashire?

[doktorb]

I still haven't found a solution to East Lancs =<  I have been looking at Google Earth to see how hilly and mountainy neighbouring wards are, I'm going to give it one more go, before plumping for....Maybe Darwen + bits below - Bolton or Bury?

[doktorb]

LOL.  Okay, I will try to avoid that. I remember being told that Whitworth wants out of Rochdale, maybe the Big Society could organise a binding referendum

[doktorb]

I've put the 15 seat Lancashire in the gallery.....So  here, at last, is what I've done for a 15 seat Lancashire. I'll prepare to hide from any brickbats!

I will try to upload a map with labels, but I am sure the more attentive of you will work out what is what...

Darwen, Egerton and Pleasington   77,488
Blackpool North and Fleetwood   72,765
Blackpool South   74,074
Burnley and Accrington   76,827
Chorley and Wrightington   75,692
Blackburn and Rishton   78,881
Fylde   76,339
Lancaster and Morecambe   78,808
Pendle and Burnley North   78,931
Preston   74,807
Rossendale and Ramsbottom   77,638
South Ribble   76,190
Valleys of Ribble and Lune   74,671
West Lancashire   76,704
Wyre and Preston North   76,733

[doktorb]

I'm liking "Irwell Valley" a LOT, and yeah, think if I'm going to have "...Burnley North" in one seat and "Burnley and..." in another, there's nothing against having "Blackburn and..." with "....and West Blackburn"..... So I'll accept those changes

(Though I have just written my blog with my original names, so once I've played with Gtr Manchester, I'll update the names )

[doktorb]

Brilliant, cheers for that. I really hope to keep Wigan together without crossing boundaries.

[doktorb]

Can I just say how great it is that we three have managed to keep this thread going for nearly 18 pages? This is before the Bill is even debated, how longer will it get by December?

[doktorb]

=<

[doktorb]

I would rename the West Brom seats. Isn't it the case that WBW (as is) doesn't cover any of Brom itself?

[doktorb]

WBW could be "Tipton" or "Tipton and Wednesbury" at the moment.

[doktorb]

Heh, I get criticised for inventing too long names, too short names, I can't win

I've been quite hungover throughout the day, so not been in the mood for looking at Gtr Manchester. Will look tomorrow. I have some ideas which could mean massive surgery in the Manchester area....