Sefton Campaigner makes last stand to retain Ainsdale and Molyneux in Southport and Sefton Central Constituencies
David Barton is urging residents to contact the BCE
LAST STAND: Community Campaigner David Barton maintains that Ainsdale can remain within Southport if more thorough effort is taken in all quarters by residents and officials
A campaigner for the heritage of Sefton is urging elected Representatives and his local authority ensure that they have exhausted every platform available to retain existing geographical borders across the Borough.
The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) is an independent Government Agency tasked with periodically reviewing the Parliamentary Constituency boundaries across England. It is presently conducting an in-depth review using updated information and legislation passed by Parliament itself in 2020.
The organisation may propose or recommend any constituency comply with strict parameters regarding its number of electors, although the Review process is primarily based on public consultation. Upon submission of feedback, representations from the public are taken in writing and a further two rounds of consultation are engaged at public hearings covering each region across the country.
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It is essential that as much feedback is received as the BCE may revise their existing proposals for each area accordingly before conducting a further round of written consultation on any amended versions. The BCE must then produce a formal final report to the Speaker of the House of Commons before July 1 2023, advocating any changes that it believes are appropriate to the distribution, size, shape, name or designation of constituencies in England.
This is the 2023 Review referred to, whose recommendations must then be incorporated into an ‘Order in Council’ that implements said recommendations. The constituencies set out in the Order will then be implemented for the next General Election after the date on which the legislation is approved.
David Barton, former Councillor for the Dukes Ward covering the Town Centre and West Birkdale, maintains that Ainsdale can remain within Southport if more thorough effort is taken in all quarters by residents and Officials alike. This extends to the Borough’s namesake and coat of arms- Molyneux which presently stands to be transferred to the newly proposed Liverpool Walton Constituency.
The community campaigner, whose ultimate focus has been and remains the restoration of Sefton, believes that a much greater substantial effort utilizing the Council’s very own digital consulting software can and should still be used to illustrate to the Boundary Commission just why the changes aren’t necessary in their present format.
Mr Barton says: “With the official deadline fast drawing to a completion, it should be borne in mind that the Local Authority and elected Members of Parliament still have a very real ability to influence the ultimate outcome of the Boundary Review. Indeed, they should still be actively engaging with the general public through the use of all facilities available to them besides the standard issuing of Press Releases and occasional partisan combat across all media platforms.”
“Whilst the official deadline of November 5 2022 has now passed, considering the long-term and far-reaching impact of this Boundary review, I would duly suggest all those with a governmental mantle, irrespective of stripe do what they can to compile as much data as possible to prove the community’s case to the Powers that be in Whitehall even if this means a further in-depth cross-analysis consultation, such as that presently used by Sefton Council for its own local government functions with the advantage of being reinforced by detailed individual user statistical feedback.”
Residents can contact the BCE here.
Submitted by David Barton
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