I am having an inner debate about parliamentary constituency boundary changes. Does it really matter in the big scheme of things or is the proposed loss of one voice for the county in Westminster deeply worrying?
Let’s start with the facts: The Boundary Commission for England was asked by Parliament to review the parliamentary boundaries because of population changes and parliament sees a need to rebalance constituencies based solely on population numbers. Geography, communities or culture did not come into it.
For Cumbria, these proposals would mean that the number of MP’s would go from six to five and a small part of the county would be grouped in a constituency largely in another county – Sedbergh, Kirby Lonsdale and the surrounding areas being subsumed in Lancashire-dominated Morecambe.
So, does it matter?
Most of the services we see in our daily lives are delivered by local authorities which, in our case, from April 2023 will be Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness. They will look after roads, planning, bins, social and child services, and, to some extent, schools.
Parliament deals with the bigger things – taxation, defence, borders and immigration, the environment and food, foreign affairs, justice, transport, health, and energy and industrial strategy.
In broad terms, central government holds the purse strings of local government which is how the centre controls the local.
So, with our democracy resting on accountability, every four years we have an opportunity to vote for our representative on the local council, with, thanks to the local authority changes, will be in May 2027.
For Parliamentary elections, there is a fixed term of five years, but this can be less if Parliament wishes. Currently, Parliament doesn’t wish to have an early election as this would be akin to Tory turkeys voting for Christmas!
In terms of geography, the proposals makes no sense whatsoever.
The Carlisle constituency would end at the 30mph signs on Wigton Road. Whitehaven would subsume Workington with Seaton and Northside being abandoned to Penrith and Solway with Alston making it an eclectic mix of communities.
The Barrow and Furness constituency would take the remote western Lake District with Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency stretching to the southern edge of Penrith town, taking in the commercial heart of the lakes.
But does geography make any difference in terms of what is delivered to Cumbria from Westminster?
I have no idea who will stand to be a MP at the next election, whenever that may be, but you can have a rough guesstimate as to where the political colours will fall.
The current Carlisle constituency is Tory held and must be one that Labour would target if they wanted to build back representation in the north. The proposed changes don’t seem to change their prospects.
Penrith and the Border is solidly blue and that isn’t likely to change under the new boundaries with great swathes of rural countryside traditionally voting Tory.
There might be a significant change in West Cumbria, though. While both the Workington and Copeland constituencies have edged towards the Tories in recent years, if the traditional Labour heartlands of the western towns can get their act together they might swing it back to the red side despite the inclusion of Keswick. That said, while Labour dithers on nuclear, maybe that will be the factor that keeps it blue.
Barrow will be interesting. Solidly Labour for most of the post-war period, it currently has a Conservative MP and submarines and support for the Dreadnought Trident replacement may remain a factor that keeps it blue.
Westmorland and Lonsdale, taking into account the strong showing by the Lib Dems in the local elections this year, it is hard to see any changes here.
Of course, if we had proportional representation, the only thing that would change would be our MPs would come from party lists made up of party apparatchiks from Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and Lancashire.
However you view our democracy, the political party system has it all sewn up! The chances of an independent or a minor party, such as the Greens, getting a seat in Cumbria is remote so the small number of people who are signed up members of a political party hold much power – remember who decided to make Liz Truss Prime Minister!!
What can have an impact is having our communities working together on issues that matter and having our councillors and council executives understanding their role in challenging central government.
Democracy must remain in our hands/paws, and we cannot afford to be complacent. Yes, vote at every opportunity but also voice your views and opinions and be prepared to get your hands/paws dirty in pursuit of what is right.
About Cumbria Cat
Born in Cumberland and, from 2023, will be back living in Cumberland, having spent most of the past 50 years in some place called Cumbria, this cat has used up all nine lives as well as a few others.
Always happy to curl up on a friendly lap, the preference is for a local lap and not a lap that wants to descend on the county to change it into something it isn’t. After all, you might think Cumbria/Cumberland/Westmorland is a land forged by nature – the glaciers, the rivers, breaking down the volcanic rocks or the sedimentary layers – but, in reality, the Cumbria we know today was forged by generations of local people, farmers, miners, quarriers, and foresters.
This cat is a local moggy, not a Burmese, Ocicat or Persian, and although I have been around the block a few times, whenever I jump, I end up on my feet back in my home county. I am passionate about the area, its people, past, present and future, and those who come to admire what we hold dear, be it lakes and mountains, wild sea shores, vibrant communities or the history as rich and diverse as anywhere in the world.
