2018 review - East Midlands

[YL]

Ceremonial counties:

Derbyshire 10.12
Lincolnshire (part) 6.97
Leicestershire 9.46
Rutland 0.37
Northamptonshire 6.60
Nottinghamshire 10.20

Total 43.80

Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and Rutland cannot stand alone. They could be grouped for 17 seats, though as their total entitlement is 16.43 that might seem a bit unfair; an alternative would be to add Nottinghamshire (which could easily stand alone for 10) to the group for 27.

[myth11]

my 1st go at notts trying to move as little as possible and not crossing county lines plus no ward splits.

bassetlaw old 76764 no change

newark old 71783
+ east bridgford (part) 775
+ thoroton (part)356
- dover beck (part)1890
- lowdham 2218
+ southwell(part)941
- rains and ruff (part)408
+ollerton 6303
+boughton 2259
new 77901

mansfield old 74066
+ rains south and blidworth 3852
new 77918

ashfield old 76490
- greasley(part) 72
new 76418

sherwood old 72051
+ rains and ruff(p) 408
+ dover beck(p)1890
+lowdham 2218
+trent valley 4136
-ollerton 6303
-boughton 2259
- southwell(p)941
+ bestwood st albans(p)2306
-redhill(p) 36
- rains south 3852
+plains(p) 5479
new 75097

gedling 68900
- bestwood st albans(p)2306
+ redhill(p)36
- plains(p)5479
- trent valley 4136
+ mapperley 9964
+ sherwood 10027
new 77006

nottingham north 64727
+ berridge 10694
new 75421

nottingham south (and bits) 65512
- wollaton west 10763
- clifton south 10154
+ dales 10035
+ st ann,s 10225
+ arboretum 6187
+ trent bridge 3938
+ beeston central 3431
new 78411

broxtowe 69699
+ greasley 72(p)
- beeston central 3431
+ wollaton west 10763
new 77103

rushcliffe 71897
+ clifton south 10154
- trent bridge 3938
- thoroton (p)356
- east bridgford(p)775

new 76982

[An Sionnach Flannbhuí]

There's no up-to-date map resource on the internet I can find (wards have changed in Erewash but nowhere else it appears). Pretty second rate if citizens are meant to take an interest in this.

[East Anglian Lefty]

Your Derby East is too large.

And www.election-maps.co.uk has got all the administrative geographies. It's not the fastest, but it does the job.

[myth11]

Northamptonshire + bit of lei
i am not happy with it but its a start.
corby old 80049
-irthingborough jp 3119
-irthingborough w 3212
-stanwick 1675
new 72043

wellingborough old 74916
+irthingborough jp 3119
+irthingborough w 3212
+stanwick 1675
-harrowden&sywell (part)1837
-wollaston 3053
-bozeat 1646
-finedon 3210
-great doddington 1503
new 71763

northampton south old 57389
+south northamptonshire cc northampton wards 22875
apart from rushmills part
-semilong(part)1995
-talavera(p)250
-rectory farm(p) 2839
-billing 6024
-rushmill 2653
+abington (p)5233
new 71736

northampton north old 57032
+talaveral(p)250
+rectory farm(p)2839
+billing 6024
-abington(p)5233
+semilong(p)1995
+ wellingborough rural wards apart from finedon 13652
-obelisk 2065
-boothville 3262
new 71232

daventry
58392 daventry district
+obelisk 2065
+boothville 3262
+lutterworth wards amd misterton 8819
Leicestershire part
new 72541

kettering old 68279
+finedon 3210
new 71489

south northamptonshire old 84427
-northampton wards 22875 apart from rushmills(p)
+7474 south norths wards from daventry
+rushmills(p)2653
new 71679

[islington]

I note (a) that East Midlands has had relatively little attention on these boards; and (b) that I have been uncharacteristically quiet lately.

Let me address both issues.

I'm quite pleased with Derbyshire. With an entitlement of 10.12, it can be treated separately for 10 seats.

The first issue is how to deal with Derby itself. If you remove two of its 17 wards, it is the right size for two seats but the problem is to get the 7-ward seat above the minimum and the 8-ward seat below the maximum. But this can be achieved by an east-west split (instead of the current north-south). The main problem is that one of the two wards to be left out has to be Darley, which is very much part of Derby and reaches almost into the city centre (the other omitted ward, Allestree, is more peripheral). However, I feel the drawback of omitting Darley is more than justified because it allows the remaining 15 wards to form two very compact seats wholly within the City.

DERBY EAST (71368): - There's a very obvious railway running north-south through the city and forming ward boundaries the whole way. This seat consists of everything east of that line except Sinfin.

DERBY WEST (78140): - The rest of Derby except Allestree and Darley (but including Sinfin).

SOUTH DERBYSHIRE (71577): - Unchanged.

EREWASH (75973): - The current seat plus Ockbrook & Borrowash from Mid Derbyshire.

WEST DERBYSHIRE (76753): - The current Derbyshire Dales seat minus Bradwell and Hathersage & Eyam and plus the four Belper wards and Duffield. These changes makes it less of a 'Dales' seat, hence the name change.

HIGH PEAK (75591): - The current seat plus Bradwell and Hathersage & Eyam. It's a shame not to be able to leave the current seat unchanged because it is coterminous with the district and (just) within quota; but then the numbers would not work elsewhere.

MID DERBYSHIRE (76188): - The current seat is extensively altered: it loses Ockbrook & Borrowash, Spondon, Oakwood, Duffield and Belper; and gains Darley and the current Amber Valley seat except for the four wards that go into Bolsover (see below). Amber Valley is thus the seat to disappear.

BOLSOVER (78109): - The current seat less its wards in NE Derbyshire but plus Alfreton, Ironville & Riddings, Somercotes, Swanwick (from Amber Valley) and Lowgates & Woodthorpe. I'm uncomfortable about the last one because it maintains an existing constituency boundary right through the middle of Staveley, but I presume they're used to it; and ...

CHESTERFIELD (75595): - It allows the rest of Chesterfield borough to stand as a seat.

NORTH EAST DERBYSHIRE (77256): - Now coterminous with the district.

[greenhert]

Since no-one is dealing with (South) Lincolnshire, here are some of my suggested proposals for it.

1. Grantham & Stamford. Unchanged from current boundaries. Electorate: 77,983.
2. Louth & Horncastle. Gains the Wragby ward (which is in East Lindsey) from Gainsborough, but loses the East Lindsey wards of Chapel St Leonards and Alford to a redrawn Boston & Skegness whilst gaining Spilsby from it. Electorate: 71,156.
3. Gainsborough. Loses the orphan Wragby ward to Louth & Horncastle, meaning it is now entirely coterminous with the West Lindsey district. Electorate: 72,401.
4. Boston & Skegness. The entire district of Boston plus the East Lindsey wards of Wainfleet, Friskney, Croft, Burgh Le Marsh, Scarbrough & Seacroft, St Clements, Winthorpe, Halton Holegate, Sibsey & Stickney, Ingoldmells, Chapel St Leonards, and Alford. Electorate: 71,642.
5. South Holland & The Deepings. Unchanged from current boundaries. Electorate: 74,332.
6. Sleaford. As the current Sleaford & North Hykeham constituency minus the wards of North Hykeham Forum/Memorial/Mill/Moor/Witham and Eagle,Swinderby & Witham St Hughs, but plus the ward of Bracebridge Heath & Waddington East. Electorate: 77,625.
7. Lincoln & North Hykeham. The entire city of Lincoln plus the North Kesteven wards of North Hykeham Forum/Memorial/Mill/Moor/Witham and Eagle,Swinderby & Witham St Hughs, but minus the ward of Bracebridge Heath & Waddington East. Electorate: 76,142.

[greenhert]

Now onto Leicestershire (plus an unavoidable cross-county constituency between Leicestershire and Northamptonshire).

1. Rutland & Melton. As the current Rutland & Melton, minus Thurnby & Houghton, but plus Glen ward. Electorate: 72,264.
2. North West Leicestershire. Unchanged from current boundaries. Electorate: 71,377.
3. Harborough. All the Harborough wards in the current Harborough constituency, minus Glen ward. Electorate: 71,530.
4. Loughborough. All the Charnwood wards in the current Loughborough constituency minus The Wolds ward. Electorate: 71,583.
5. Leicester South East. The Leicester wards of Eyres Monsell, Saffron, Knighton, Aylestone, Castle, Stoneygate, Wycliffe, and Spinney Hills. Electorate: 71,507.
6. Leicester North East. The Leicester wards of Evington, North Evington, Thurncourt, Troon, Humberstone & Hamilton, Rushey Mead, and Belgrave. Electorate: 75,755.
7. Leicester West & Glenfield. The Leicester wards of Beaumont Leys, Abbey, Westcotes, Fosse, and Western, plus the Blaby wards of Fairestone and Ellis. Electorate 71,236.
8. Charnwood. All Charnwood wards not included in Loughborough, plus the Harborough ward of Thornby & Houghton, and the Hinckley & Bosworth wards of Groby and Markfield, Stanton & Fieldhead. Electorate: 71,202.
9. Bosworth. All the Hinckley & Bosworth wards in the current Bosworth constituency minus Markfield, Stanton and Fieldhead. Electorate: 73,537.
10. Blaby & Broughton Astley. All Blaby wards except for Fairestone and Ellis and also plus the Harborough wards of Broughton Astley-Astley/-Broughton/-Primethrope/-Sutton and Dutton. Electorate: 72,362.
11. Daventry & Lutterworth. The Harborough wards of Ullesthorpe, Misterton, Peatling, Bosworth and Lutterworth Brookfield/Orchard/Springs/Swift plus the Daventry district. Electorate: 72,489.

[YL]

Doesn't removing Glen ward from Harborough cut Oadby & Wigston district off from the rest of the seat?

Personally I am minded to put Rutland with Northants, cross the Notts/Leics border as well (as otherwise Leics/Northants/Rutland are collectively over-represented) and go for minimal change in Leicestershire other than the carve up of the former Rutland & Melton. I have a draft plan on this basis (including the pitchfork bait of Rutland & Corby) but I think I will wait until Boundary Assistant is updated because I'm not entirely confident that I haven't done something daft in one of the districts with new ward boundaries.

[YL]

The Leicestershire bit is easy, though, so I will post that now.

Leicester South, Leicester East, Loughborough, Harborough, NW Leics all unchanged.

Leicester West (74,610) current seat plus the Blaby wards of Millfield, Ravenhurst & Fosse, Winstanley.

South Leicestershire (72,662) current seat less those three (except for a small bit of Winstanley which is currently in Charnwood), plus the Blaby wards of Forest and Muxloe.

Charnwood (71,211) current seat less Forest, Muxloe and Winstanley (small part), plus Markfield et al ward of Hinckley & Bosworth.

Bosworth (73,537) current seat less Markfield et al.

I'm not that keen on either "South Leicestershire" or "Harborough" as names, but can't be bothered changing them.

[greenhert]

Mar 8, 2016 20:03:27 GMT YL said:

Doesn't removing Glen ward from Harborough cut Oadby & Wigston district off from the rest of the seat?

Personally I am minded to put Rutland with Northants, cross the Notts/Leics border as well (as otherwise Leics/Northants/Rutland are collectively over-represented) and go for minimal change in Leicestershire other than the carve up of the former Rutland & Melton. I have a draft plan on this basis (including the pitchfork bait of Rutland & Corby) but I think I will wait until Boundary Assistant is updated because I'm not entirely confident that I haven't done something daft in one of the districts with new ward boundaries.

Putting Rutland with Northamptonshire,whilst allowing for seven fairly sized seats in Northamptonshire, is not possible in practice because Rutland does not share a border with any Northamptonshire district, meaning you have to partly go through Leicestershire to link it anyway. Rutland shares no links with Kettering, the only Northamptonshire district you could possibly pair it with.

As for the Glen ward, just split it carefully to solve this non-contiguity problem whilst still keeping all the new Leicestershire constituencies in quota. I encountered two major problems when redrawing boundaries here: 1. The shape of the wards in Harborough, and 2. The size of the current wards in the city of Leicester.

[greatkingrat]

I think you need to look at a map again, Rutland borders both Corby and East Northamptonshire.

[greenhert]

The six Northamptonshire constituencies of mine (excluding Daventry & Lutterworth).

1. Northampton North. The Northampton wards of New Duston, Old Duston, Kings Heath, Spencer, Kingsthorpe, Semilong, Spring Park, Obelisk, Sunnyside, St David's, Trinity, Kingsley, Parklands, Eastfield, Boothville, Westone, Talavera, Brookside, and Rectory Farm. Electorate: 71,401.
2. Northampton South. All remaining wards in Northampton plus also the South Northamptonshire wards of Grange Park and half of Harpole & Grange. Electorate: 71,137 (estimate).
3. Corby. The current Corby constituency minus the East Northamptonshire wards of Stanwick and Irthlingborough John Pyel/Waterloo. Electorate: 72,043.
4. Wellingborough. The entire district of Wellingborough except for the wards of Finedon, Earls Barton, and Harrowden & Sywell, plus the East Northamptonshire wards of Rushden Bates/Hayden/Pemberton/Sartoris/Spencer, Higham Ferrers Chichele/Lancaster, Irthlingborough John Pyel/Waterloo, and Stanwick. Electorate: 71,473.
5. Kettering. The entire district of Kettering plus the Wellingborough ward of Finedon. Electorate: 71,489.
6. South Northamptonshire. All wards in the South Northamptonshire district except for Grange Park and Harpole & Grange (half) plus the Wellingborough wards of Harrowden & Sywell and Earls Barton. Electorate: 71,036 (estimate).

[greenhert]

Mar 8, 2016 20:56:13 GMT greatkingrat said:

I think you need to look at a map again, Rutland borders both Corby and East Northamptonshire.

Correct. However, for practical reasons it is best to keep pairing Rutland with Leicestershire when drawing up the new constituencies, even if this causes an over-representation of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire.

[East Anglian Lefty]

Mar 8, 2016 21:30:14 GMT greenhert said:

Mar 8, 2016 20:56:13 GMT greatkingrat said:

I think you need to look at a map again, Rutland borders both Corby and East Northamptonshire.

Correct. However, for practical reasons it is best to keep pairing Rutland with Leicestershire when drawing up the new constituencies, even if this causes an over-representation of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire.

What are these practical reasons? It's a small number of electors in an overwhelmingly rural area that looks, if it really looks anywhere, to Peterborough, which it's not going to be paired with under the present rules. That seems like a particularly good area to move if it allows minimal change elsewhere.

I mean, Rutland and Corby does sound like a notably terrible combination, but not very much worse than any other plausible partner for Corby.

[myth11]

Mar 8, 2016 16:00:26 GMT greenhert said:

Since no-one is dealing with (South) Lincolnshire, here are some of my suggested proposals for it.

1. Grantham & Stamford. Unchanged from current boundaries. Electorate: 77,983.
2. Louth & Horncastle. Gains the Wragby ward (which is in East Lindsey) from Gainsborough, but loses the East Lindsey wards of Chapel St Leonards and Alford to a redrawn Boston & Skegness whilst gaining Spilsby from it. Electorate: 71,156.
3. Gainsborough. Loses the orphan Wragby ward to Louth & Horncastle, meaning it is now entirely coterminous with the West Lindsey district. Electorate: 72,401.
4. Boston & Skegness. The entire district of Boston plus the East Lindsey wards of Wainfleet, Friskney, Croft, Burgh Le Marsh, Scarbrough & Seacroft, St Clements, Winthorpe, Halton Holegate, Sibsey & Stickney, Ingoldmells, Chapel St Leonards, and Alford. Electorate: 71,642.
5. South Holland & The Deepings. Unchanged from current boundaries. Electorate: 74,332.
6. Sleaford. As the current Sleaford & North Hykeham constituency minus the wards of North Hykeham Forum/Memorial/Mill/Moor/Witham and Eagle,Swinderby & Witham St Hughs, but plus the ward of Bracebridge Heath & Waddington East. Electorate: 77,625.
7. Lincoln & North Hykeham. The entire city of Lincoln plus the North Kesteven wards of North Hykeham Forum/Memorial/Mill/Moor/Witham and Eagle,Swinderby & Witham St Hughs, but minus the ward of Bracebridge Heath & Waddington East. Electorate: 76,142.

what happened to Skellingthorpe in Lincoln cc?

[myth11]

Mar 8, 2016 20:03:27 GMT YL said:

Doesn't removing Glen ward from Harborough cut Oadby & Wigston district off from the rest of the seat?

Personally I am minded to put Rutland with Northants, cross the Notts/Leics border as well (as otherwise Leics/Northants/Rutland are collectively over-represented) and go for minimal change in Leicestershire other than the carve up of the former Rutland & Melton. I have a draft plan on this basis (including the pitchfork bait of Rutland & Corby) but I think I will wait until Boundary Assistant is updated because I'm not entirely confident that I haven't done something daft in one of the districts with new ward boundaries.

crossing the border makes most notts seats  change a lot less .
1. Bassetlaw no change
2. Mansfield no change
3. Ashfield one minor ward change
4. Newark part wards only
5. Sherwood cc part wards only
6. Nottingham north +  Berridge
7. Gedling part wards + Sherwood ward 
8. Broxtowe + Wollaton east and lenton abbey
9. Nottingham castle seat of what,s left of Nottingham east and south less  Clifton north+south
10. Rushcliffe Clifton wards plus maj of rushcliffe which gives leics around 17000ish voters  to play

[greenhert]

Nottinghamshire:

1. Rushcliffe. All the current Rushcliffe wards of the existing Rushcliffe constituency plus East Bridgford. Electorate: 74,152.
2. Newark. The current Newark constituency minus the Rushcliffe ward of East Bridgford plus the Newark & Sherwood wards of Farnsfield and Bilsthorpe. Electorate: 73,983.
3. Mansfield. Unchanged from current boundaries. Electorate: 74,066.
4. Bassetlaw. Unchanged from current boundaries. Electorate: 76,764.
5. Nottingham West. The Nottingham wards of Clifton North/South, Dunkirk & Lenton, Wollaton West, Wollaton East & Abbey, Leen Valley, Aspley, Bilborough, and Bridge. Electorate: 76,738.
6. Nottingham East. The Nottingham wards of Arboretum, Radford & Park, St Ann's, Dales, Mapperley, Sherwood, Berridge, and Basford. Electorate: 78,392.
7. Bulwell Forest. The Nottingham wards of Bulwell, Bulwell Forest and Bestwood, plus the Ashfield ward of Kingsway, Summit, Abbey Hill, and Sutton Junction & Harlow Wood, the remainder of Newark & Sherwood and the remainder of Gedling. Electorate: 76,275.
8. Broxtowe. The entire district of Broxtowe except for the ward of Nuttall East & Streeley. Electorate: 76,808.
9. Carlton. All the Gedling wards in the existing Gedling constituency plus the wards of Dumbles and Calverton. Electorate: 76,906.
10. Ashfield. The entire district of Ashfield minus the wards of Kingsway, Summit, Abbey Hill, Sutton Junction & Harlow Wood. Electorate: 78,018.

It is worth saying at this point that the East Midlands had a considerable number of districts subject to rewarding during the period of the last parliament (2010-2015) which has made these calculations and drawings more difficult.

[Arthur Figgis]

Mar 8, 2016 22:00:52 GMT East Anglian Lefty said:

Mar 8, 2016 21:30:14 GMT greenhert said:

Correct. However, for practical reasons it is best to keep pairing Rutland with Leicestershire when drawing up the new constituencies, even if this causes an over-representation of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire.

What are these practical reasons? It's a small number of electors in an overwhelmingly rural area that looks, if it really looks anywhere, to Peterborough, which it's not going to be paired with under the present rules. That seems like a particularly good area to move if it allows minimal change elsewhere.

I mean, Rutland and Corby does sound like a notably terrible combination, but not very much worse than any other plausible partner for Corby.

Airdrie? It would solve the worries some have about putting Airdrie and Coatbridge in together.

[islington]

I agree with the comments above that the natural solution is to link Rutland with Northants (6.97), and Notts and Leics (16.80).

For Notts, the key issues are: (1) How do you deal with Nottingham itself? (2) Which parts of Notts are to be merged into a Leics seat? In practice, these two issues are linked and they both get easier if, with regard to point (1), you treat the two Clifton wards (i.e. south of the Trent) separately from the rest of Nottingham. With regard to point (2), I've taken the Rushcliffe wards of Radford, Cotgrave and Nevile & Langar and all of Rushcliffe to the east of these; this area (29578 electors) will be treated with Leics. This then gives us 739443 electors in the rest of Notts, entitlement 9.89, to receive 10 seats as follows.

WEST BRIDGFORD (74362): - The rest of Rushcliffe district plus the two Clifton wards of Nottingham. This could alternatively be called 'South Nottinghamshire'.

NOTTINGHAM EAST (75659): - The present seat plus Bridge and Radford & Park.

NOTTINGHAM NORTH (71765): - The present seat plus Leen Valley.

NOTTINGHAM WEST AND BEESTON (72386): The three Nottingham wards covering the Lenton and Woollaton areas plus all of Broxtowe up to and including Awsworth &c ward.

HUCKNALL (73250): The rest of Broxtowe plus the southern wards of Ashfield up to and including Selston and Annesley & KW wards; it's unfortunately not possible to go farther north without taking bites out of the town of Kirkby, so to make up the numbers we have to take Bestwood St Albans ward from Gedling district. I'm unsure of the best name for this: it's partly the successor of the current Broxtowe and Sherwood seats, but neither of these names is suitable so I suggest 'Hucknall' or 'Hucknall and Eastwood', or even 'East Nottinghamshire' might be possible.

ASHFIELD (74265): The rest of Ashfield plus the Newstead Abbey ward of Gedling and, from Newark & Sherwood, the Rainhill wards, Farnsfield and Edwinstowe & Clipstone. (This looks awkward on the map because of the ward shapes in Newark & Sherwood, but it would work OK on the ground.)

GEDLING (75611): The loss of its two northern wards to the preceding two seats allows the rest of Gedling to stand as a seat.

MANSFIELD (74066): Unchanged.

BASSETLAW (76764): Unchanged.

NEWARK (71315): Newark occupies the parts of Newark & Sherwood not in Ashfield, plus part of Bassetlaw district as at present.

I'll cover Leics, Nhants and Rutland in another post, possibly tomorrow.