Keith Bowes - "Deane-cum-Heaton is Doomed!"

These are notes from the talk by Ruth Kelly MP's Researcher, Keith Bowes, taken directly from the Deane-Cum-Heaton Labour Party's Branch minutes.

The Chair welcomed Keith Bowes who is Ruth Kelly's Researcher in Bolton West.

Keith said that at the end of February a Working Party was set up for the 10 yearly review of local Government boundaries in the Borough. Submissions were invited from interested parties in May and a Bolton West Labour Party plan has been developed. This was discussed with the other two Bolton Constituency Labour Parties and, although not agreed by all three, had been accepted by Bolton Council and is now the official Bolton plan. This plan has now gone to the Local Boundary Commission and they will accept other submissions up until September 16th.

The Boundary Commission will then consider the Bolton plan and other submissions received and the new boundaries will be announced after May 14th 2003. They will come into force at the end of 2003 and there will be an all out local election in the Borough in 2004.

Keith said that it's essentially a numbers exercise. Population changes and movement of people out of the central area of the town have made some wards far too big and others too small. At present there are 20 wards and the new plan stays with that number. The average size of each ward should be ~10,000 electors +/- 5%. Currently Deane-cum-Heaton has almost 13,500 so we have had to lose a large number of voters.

Keith listed the areas that would be taken out of our ward:

      All between Deane Church Lane and Hulton Lane

      The streets around Haslam Park

      Albert Road West and the whole area above it, including the part of Heaton between Devonshire Road and New Hall Lane

      All of Johnson Fold

We will gain the part of Lostock around the Municipal Golf Course and Chew Moor.

The proposed name for the new ward is Lostock-with-Ladybridge.

Keith stressed that, although this is the Bolton plan, the Tories and Lib Dems have also made submissions to the Boundary Commission for quite different boundaries and the final version could vary a great deal from the Labour view.

Keith's presentation was followed by questions.

Graham thanked Keith for his talk and members for their contribution to the discussion.

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