First Schedule. — (Parliamentary Constituencies.)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 26 April 1948.

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Photo of Mrs Barbara Castle Mrs Barbara Castle , Blackburn 12:00, 26 April 1948

I find myself suffering from something very much like split personality in considering this Amendment. Of course, I wish to congratulate my right hon. Friend on having recognised Blackburn's title to have two Members of Parliament. This is a matter on which all the parties in my constituency felt very strongly indeed. Blackburn, in addition to having an electorate of over 80,000 and therefore, coming among the eight constituencies which are in a rather special position, had other titles to consideration in this matter. Under Rule 5A alone, the rule in which the Commission said they would try to avoid excessive disparity between neighbouring constituencies, Blackburn stood to gain. Here we had the situation of Blackburn, with an electorate of 84,000, standing cheek by jowl with Darwen, with an electorate of only 42,000. The proposition that Blackburn should be reduced to the status of Darwen was one which no Blackburnian worthy of the name could tolerate for a moment.

While I congratulate the Home Secretary on having invited the Committee to provide for two constituencies for Blackburn, I wish to point out to him that all-party and very strong representations are being made to the Boundary Commission with regard to the proposed line of division which is now suggested. This is not a matter of a party point of view. All the parties in the constituency are agreed in regretting that the Boundary Commission should have proposed this particular division as between North-West and South-East Blackburn. We are at a loss to understand why the Boundary Commission should have put forward a proposal which varies from the one presented to the Commissioners. When they came to Blackburn in the first place a very simple and obvious line of division was put to them, one which would quite clearly and directly have divided the constituency into East and West, with an almost perfect numerical balance and a ward balance between the two constituencies.

Instead of that the Boundary Commissioners have chosen to suggest a line of division which is less numerically balanced and which gives South-East Blackburn 1,100 more electors than the North-West at the commencement, and in addition puts into South-East Blackburn all the coming housing development, which is likely to throw it even more out of balance in the near future.

Even more important, instead of a clear line North to South the new proposed boundary line will wobble all over the place and make an administratively inconvenient division—one straggling constituency winding around and encircling one compact constituency. All parties are making representations to the Boundary Commission and I hope, therefore, that if the Boundary Commission are persuaded by their arguments there will be an opportunity at a later stage for this particular form of division to be amended.