Express & Star

Parliamentary boundary changes: Black Country and Staffordshire could lose two seats - with Dudley, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Sandwell all affected

The Black Country and Staffordshire could lose two Parliamentary seats under proposals to redraw constituency boundaries.

Published
The number of MPs could be reduced from 650 to 600 under Boundary Commission plans

Across the region a total of 10 seats will change name, while all but three constituencies will see their make-ups revised by the Boundary Commission.

It comes as the commission opened its third and final consultation on the changes, for after the next General Election.

Parliament has vowed to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600, and to ensuring the number of voters in each area is more evenly balanced, with between 72,000 and 78,000 constituents. Under the proposals Dudley North and Dudley South will be scrapped.

And the current Dudley South constituency will include the bulk of the old Dudley South seat held by Conservative MP Mike Wood.

Dudley North will be abolished, with parts of it going into Dudley and others into the new Wolverhampton South and Coseley, the majority of which is the Wolverhampton South East seat currently held by Labour MP Pat McFadden. That seat will lose Blakenhall to the new Wolverhampton West seat, and gain the Dudley Council wards of Upper Gornal and Sedgley. Wolverhampton West – which replaces the city’s South West seat held by Labour’s Eleanor Smith – will also gain Oxley and Bushbury North, expanding voters to 77,373.

Emma Reynolds’ Wolverhampton North East seat will become Wolverhampton East and Willenhall, gaining the three Walsall wards of Short Heath, Willenhall North and Willenhall South. The Walsall North and South seats will disappear, with a new Walsall and Oscott ward taking in parts of both old constituencies and Birmingham’s Oscott ward.

Emma Reynolds' seat will take in part of Walsall

Aldridge-Brownhills will take in Bloxwich from Walsall North. A Darlaston and Tipton ward has also been proposed. In Sandwell, parts of West Bromwich East and West will be split across a new West Bromwich seat.

Initial plans to ditch Halesowen and Rowley Regis have been scrapped and the constituency will remain. The majority of Cannock Chase, South Staffordshire and Wyre Forest will remain unchanged, while the bulk of Bill Cash’s Stone seat will be incorporated into a new constituency called Stoke-on-Trent South and Stone. The final proposals are due to be submitted to Parliament in September 2018.

To view the full plans and take part in the consultation, visit: www.bce2018.org.uk

The current 19 seats

Dudley North

Dudley South

Stourbridge

Halesowen and Rowley Regis

Walsall North

Walsall South

Aldridge-Brownhills

Wolverhampton North East

Wolverhampton South East

Wolverhampton South West

Warley

West Bromwich East

West Bromwich West

Cannock Chase

Stafford

South Staffordshire

Stone

Lichfield

Wyre Forest

The proposed new 17 seats

Dudley

Stourbridge

Warley

Halesowen and RR

West Bromwich

Darlaston and Tipton

Aldridge, Brownhills and Bloxwich

Walsall and Oscott

Wolverhampton East and Willenhall

Wolverhampton South and Coseley

Wolverhampton West

Cannock Chase

Lichfield

South Staffordshire

Stafford

Stoke-on-Trent South and Stone

Wyre Forest