It is proposed that Leigh Consistency should lose the Electoral Wards of Leigh West and Atherleigh,
and gain wards in Walkden, Irlam and Cadishead.

Under these proposals Leigh Parish Church, Leigh Library and Leigh Town Hall will be in Westhougton Constituency, as will Westleigh.

Contact the 'Boundary Commission for England' and let them know what you think of this idea!
 "http://consultation.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/have-your-say"


Join the FACEBOOK Group "Keep Leigh in Leigh"
"http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-Leigh-in-Leigh/275145872514142?sk=wall&filter=2"

The details:-
The Boundary Commission for England
have proposed that the new Leigh Constituency will comprise of
39,000 voters(49.09%) from the current Leigh Constituency and
40,452 voters (50.91%) from the current Worsley & Eccles South Constituency.
More than half of the voters will be from outside of the existing Leigh Constituency!
19,306 voters currently in the Leigh Constituency go to (the new) Westhoughton Constituency

The New Leigh Constituency Wards will be :-
Tyldesley (no change)
Leigh East (no change)
Leigh South (no change)
Astley Mostley Common (no change)
Little Hulton (fromWalkden, in Worsley Constitucency, in the City of Salford)
Walkden North (fromWalkden, in Worsley Constitucency, in the City of Salford)
Walkden South (fromWalkden, in Worsley Constitucency, in the City of Salford)
Irlam (from Worsley & Eccles South , in the City of Salford)
Cadishead (from Worsley & Eccles South , in the City of Salford)

MAP   "http://rr-bce-static.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Leigh-CC.pdf?9d7bd4"

This means that the Leigh constituency will have more wards from Salford than from Leigh!
A better name for the proposed constituency would be 'Salford West'.

New West Houghton Constituency Wards
    Horwich & Blackrod (from Bolton West)
    West Houghton North & Chew Moor (from Bolton West)
    Westhoughton South (from Bolton West)
    Hindley     (from Makerfield Constituency)
    Hindley Green     (from Makerfield Constituency)
    Atherton (from Leigh Constituency)
    Atherleigh (from Leigh Constituency)
    Leigh West (from Leigh Constituency)

See Map   
"http://rr-bce-static.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Westhoughton-CC.pdf?9d7bd4"

Historical Links
Leigh originated as a place where four areas joined; Pennington Manor (in the Hundred of Warrington), Atherton Manor (in the Hundred of Salford), Westleigh Township and Bedford Township. If you take Westleigh out of Leigh, then it is no longer Leigh! You might as well call it the 'Pennington Constituency'. I cannot see any historic connection between Westhoughton and WestLeigh.
Westhoughton is historically linked to Bolton not Leigh.

In the past Atherton Ward and Hindley Green ward have been part of the Leigh Constituency. They are adjacent to the Leigh Constituency and similar in their background. It would make sense to include these in Leigh. However, Irlam and Cadishead are a considerable distance by any means of transport from the rest of the proposed new Leigh Constituency.

Google directions by car, from the centre of Leigh (Town Hall, which will be in West Houghton Constituency!) to Irlam is 11.6 miles, cost £3.12in petrol and will take 28 minutes (an alternative via Boothstown is 11.7 miles, takes 31minutes and costs £2.94. But, at busy periods it will take much, much longer as at commuting times the traffic is often stationary. The route takes you out of the new Constituency and through Cheshire. Astley Green and Irlam may look close to each other on a map, and there are even “roads” shown on the map between them, but the land is “Moss” land and the roads are just tracks across the wet land not suitable for domestic vehicles.


 David Welch 20 Sept 2011