Councillors and communities divided over major plans to redraw voting boundaries in Stroud

Last month the Boundary Commission, which is carrying out a huge review of the UK’s parliamentary map, published the results of the first public consultation.

This major redrawing of the Stroud boundary is part of an effort to even up the number of residents in different constituencies and cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600.

Major changes in the Commission’s plans would see Nailsworth, Horsley, Dursley and Wotton all leave the Stroud constituency - leaving district represented three different MPs in the future rather than two.

Now a second consultation period, which will run until Monday March 27, has given residents a chance to see comments, alternative suggestions and suggest adaptations.

Among those to have their say include members of the public, former council leaders, current councillors for different parties and even Stroud’s former MP.

David Hagg, chief executive of Stroud District Council (SDC), wrote to the Commission on behalf of the authority to submit its alternative suggestion.

This followed a motion passed by the council back in 2016 which put forward an alternative blueprint for the Five Valleys.

SDC's counter proposals would see Painswick and Bisley join Minchinhampton and switch from the Stroud constituency to the Cotswolds.

In return Nailsworth, considered by many to be an integral part of the Five Valleys constituency, would remain in Stroud.

To the south of the border, Kingswood, Vale and Wotton would still form part of the Commission’s new Thornbury, Yate and Tetbury constituency.

But this would allow the district council wards of Dursley, Cam and Berkeley would remain part of Stroud.

Mr Hagg said that if the current plans went ahead, it would mean Stroud district would be represented by three MPs instead of two, which he warned could leading to issues about accountability.

“The council considers the Boundary Commission for England’s proposals to be unsatisfactory from a democratic representation and accountability viewpoint and that it adds unnecessary complexity to election management arrangements.

“I appreciate there is a ‘domino effect’ with redrawing boundaries. The council considers its proposals to be a far better means of maintaining the integrity of recognisable communities and their representation in Parliament.”

However, Nigel Cooper, (below) leader of the Conservatives on Stroud District Council said the 23 group members “wholeheartedly” support the Comission's plans.

Keith Rippington, Conservative county council candidate for Bisley and Painswick, added: “I believe the new boundaries proposed by the Boundaries Commission are well thought out and entirely appropriate and suspect any complaints will be driven by political motives.”

On the other side of the debate, David Drew, former Labour MP for Stroud, argued the current boundary changes would create a “schism” that would undo four decades of work to unify communities.

“The current proposal is grossly unfair to the Stroud district involving a major change when a more minor amendment is possible to get within the required numbers and without having a major impact upon surrounding constituencies,” he said.

“The current proposal would emasculate the Stroud District removing the Vale from the rest of Stroud - a schism which would undo the 40 years’ work it has taken to unify this area.

“If Bisley and Painswick were moved into the Cotswold Constituency this would permit Nailsworth and the Berkeley Vale to remain within Stroud as they are more closely allied to the local culture and geography than either Bisley or Painswick are.

“I hope that sense will prevail and that the alternative is considered as a better solution than the current proposal.”

Jim Thomson, Labour councillor on Stroud Town Council, also echoed the Labour party’s counter proposals to hand over Bisley and Painswick to The Cotswolds and retain Nailsworth.

He said: “I believe that the current proposals for the constituency are unnecessarily complicated; that they risk losing the strong community links across the Stroud constituency; and that they threaten to destroy the character of the constituency by importing what are clearly urban areas.”

However, Bisley councillor Michael Garratt wasn’t so thrilled with this idea. “On behalf of my family, I strongly object to any idea that Bisley be moved to the Cotswold District. Bisley has always been closely associated with Stroud,” he said.

“Bisley has had very many community ties with Stroud and its area for many generations-Bisley children have been and continue to go to secondary schools in Stroud, the district and town councils, shops, supermarkets, leisure centres and sports clubs,” he said.

“Families attend the hospital, doctors, dentists, opticians, banks, the markets, special schools, families and friends, the station, the bus station and charities.”

Writing on a personal level, Green party mayor of Stroud Kevin Cranston, gave a different perspective to the two main parties.

He argued that while the changes could be considered superficially “fair”, the current constituency system had huge flaws.

“Whilst the idea of having roughly equal size constituencies has a superficial appearance of fairness, it perpetuates the unfair First Past the Post system which is skewed in favour of the two bigger parties,” he wrote.

“There will still be constituencies where a chimpanzee with the right colour rosette will beat a really talented candidate from a different party. True democracy would be based around some form of proportional representation.

“However, I suppose that the boundary changes proposed for Stroud Constituency are "fair" in the current flawed system.”

There were also other in Minchinhampton who appealed to the Commission to be switched back to Stroud.

Tory district councillor Nick Hurst (below) said: “On balance the proposals look sensible. However, assessing changes on the basis of a numerical criterion only ignores the rationale of geography.

“In Minchinhampton we are instinctively and physically associated with Stroud, and the removal of this parish from the Stroud constituency to Cotswold some years ago remains, as far as we are concerned, an anomaly.

“If it is possible to put us back into our natural habitat then it would be appreciated, but we understand the difficulties that would create in balancing elsewhere.

“In our view the Cotswold constituency, because of its rural, and therefore low-populated area, creates significant difficulties for the incumbent MP.”

It was not just politicians who had their say though, with dozens of member of the public submitting official responses.

Ruscombe resident Christine Stockwell added: “The boundary changes proposed for the Stroud Constituency fundamentally changes its character and are, in my opinion, unwelcome.

“Stroud, Dursley and Nailsworth are small towns with a common industrial heritage and many cultural and economic links. They are served by the same District and County Council and geographically are part of the Cotswold Edge area.

“They have good road links and communities in and around them feel connected. Our MPs office is in Nailsworth. In thinking about where numbers could be reduced, Painswick and Bisley are more culturally similar to the towns and villages of the Cotswold District constituency, and Vale more aligned with Thornbury.

“To bring in Quedgeley would further change the character of the constituency as this is an urban area, more aligned culturally and economically to Gloucester. People need to feel connected and our Parliamentary constituency is an important part of identity.

“Please do not destroy the essential character of this constituency by separating the towns of Stroud, Nailsworth and Dursley. This would be a mangled redistribution of population seemingly based on numbers alone, which takes no account of the allegiance of communities, and their cultural, geographical and economic links.”

A statement on the Boundary Commission website said: “The purpose of this consultation is to publish all representations received during last year’s 12-week consultation on the initial proposals.

“Nearly 20,000 individuals gave their views in writing, or at public hearings held by the Commission around the country.

“We will be inviting everyone to look at what others have said, and contribute their views, from February 28 to 27 March 2017.

“Following this consultation, the Commissioners will consider all representations from both consultation periods, before deciding whether to revise the initial proposals.”

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Initial proposals made in September last year would see Nailsworth leave the Stroud constituency and join the Cotswolds instead.

This would mean Nailsworth and Horsley residents would vote for a different MP in 2020 – despite their current MP Neil Carmichael’s constituency office being located in the town.

Meanwhile, Cam East, Dursley, Kingswood, Vale and Wotton-under-Edge would instead form part of the new Dursley, Thornbury and Yate constituency.

In return for these losses, Stroud would gain Quedgeley Severn Vale and Quedgeley Fieldcourt from the Gloucester constituency to the north.

This would mean the wards formed by the Stroud District Council area would have a total of three MPs, rather than two.

Overall these changes would mean the Stroud constituency would be left with 71,843 voters – more in line with the guidelines set out by the government.

Visit www.bce2018.org.uk for more information.

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