The public is being consulted on plans to reshuffle how the country is represented in the House of Commons – and proposed changes include some Carlisle communities becoming part of the Workington constituency.
The Boundary Commission has launched a review and is giving communities the chance to have their say on their proposed changes for 2023.
The commission’s current proposal would see an elected Carlisle MP no longer representing the communities of Durdar, Dalston or Burgh by Sands. Those areas are instead set to become part of the Workington constituency if the proposal is carried.
Mayor of Carlisle Pamela Birks has raised concerns about the idea of some constituents joining Workington. The mayor said: “They obviously don’t know what matters to people, and putting Carlisle Racecourse as Workington area just makes a mockery out of the whole thing.
“I think Carlisle people are very proud of who they are. To put Blackwell in with Workington District, people are not going to want that.”
Chairman of Carlisle Green Party Gavin Hawkton said: “Moving the boundaries of Workington right up to outskirts of Carlisle doesn’t look well thought through at all. Areas like Blackwell and Durdar are a stone’s throw away from Carlisle, yet these plans will have them taken out of the Carlisle constituency and into the boundaries of Workington. Residents there will rightly question if they are going to be fairly represented.
“For all the talk of the new St Cuthbert’s Garden Village by Carlisle City Council these new boundaries will actually place it outside of Carlisle – that really doesn’t make a lot of sense going forward.”
On Brampton, he said: “The inclusion of Brampton into Carlisle constituency is a positive one for Brampton residents who are much more connected to Carlisle than Penrith.”
But Conservative leaders say that the Boundary Commission is playing a necessary numbers game and lines must be drawn on a map somewhere.
Leader of Allerdale Council Mike Johnson said: “It’s all about numbers, it’s whether the numbers stack up. At the minute I’m happy with what’s been proposed by the Boundary Commission.
“It’s population – each Parliamentary seat represents a similar number of people, that’s how they work it out. That’s no different to the boundaries of most local councils, you try to get the numbers so it’s a fair representation.”
Councillor Johnson, who is also the county council member for Thursby, said: “Your identity never changes – in real terms it doesn’t matter who represents you, as long as you know you’ve got access to an MP, that’s the critical factor.”
Gareth Ellis, the deputy leader of Carlisle City Council said: “If you didn’t have Dalston as part of Workington you’d have to have another one.
“You’ve always got a line on the map somewhere. If you’re living in that area, it’s strange to be called Workington – maybe the constituency could be called Solway?”
Cllr Ellis said that it is good news that Brampton will become part of Carlisle District. “I think having what is generally the wider Carlisle area as part of the single constituency is brilliant, it’s just a shame that one part of Carlisle has to drop out for it to happen.”
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