Second chance to have your say on huge shake-up plan for Calderdale parliamentary constituencies

The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) is inviting comments during its secondary public consultation on constituency boundaries, which is open now until April 4 2022.

The Commission received over 34,000 responses from the public during its first consultation last year,

Secretary to the Boundary Commission for England, Tim Bowden, said: “The 2023 Boundary Review will rebalance the number of electors represented by each MP.

"It’s important that the constituencies we shape reflect your local community as best as possible.

"We received over 34,000 responses during our first consultation last year which are available online for the public to read and comment on.

"We’re inviting more people to have their say in our current secondary consultation, which is open now until April 4.

"Help us to get our proposals right for your area by telling us your views via bcereviews.org.uk, or at a public hearing in your region. We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback, and we take every response into account during our review of constituency boundaries"

What is being proposed?

According to the commission the existing Halifax constituency has an electorate within the permitted range, whereas the existing Calder Valley constituency is above the permitted range.

The commission is proposing that the Hipperholme and Lightcliffe ward be transferred from the Calder Valley constituency to a proposed Batley and Hipperholme constituency, based largely on the existing Batley and Spen constituency.

In order to bring the two Calderdale constituencies within the permitted electorate range, the two wards of Sowerby Bridge and Warley, and the two wards of Brighouse and Rastrick are exchanged between the proposed Halifax and Calder Valley constituencies.

How the new wards will look

The Halifax constituency will consist of these wards: Brighouse, Illingworth and Mixenden, Northowram and Shelf, Ovenden, Park, Rastrick, Skircoat, Town

The Calder Valley constituency will consist of these wards: Calder, Elland, Greetland and Stainland, Luddendenfoot, Ryburn, Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden, Warley.

The Hipperholme and Lightcliffe ward that is currently in the Calder Valley constituency will be transferred to the new Batley and Hipperholme constituency. The other wards there are Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Liversedge and Gomersal

The number of constituencies in the Yorkshire and the Humber region will remain at 54

By law, every constituency the commission has proposed must contain between 69,724 and 77,062 Parliamentary electors.

As far as possible, the commission tries to have regard to local ties, geographic factors, local government boundaries (as they were known at 1 December 2020), existing constituencies, and minimising disruption caused by proposed change

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