What's in a name? Seat name sparks debate

Draft plans by the Boundary Commission for England to reduce the number of MPs in the House of Commons would see the existing constituency of The Wrekin, currently held by Conservative Mark Pritchard, to be extended to include neighbouring Bridgnorth.

But proposals to call the new constituency "Bridgnorth and The Wrekin" have sparked opposition from Telford & Wrekin Council, which says The Wrekin should come first.

The council this week passed a motion to object to the proposed name, calling for it to be called "The Wrekin and Bridgnorth" instead.

Council spokesman Nigel Newman said it was important to reflect the history of the constituency.

"Historically, the constituency has been called The Wrekin, so we think the name should reflect that and be called The Wrekin and Bridgnorth, putting The Wrekin first," he said.

However, Mr Pritchard said he could not see anything wrong with the name proposed by the commission.

"This is empire building by a power-crazed ruling Labour group," he said.

"Bridgnorth is a significant market town and should be recognised for that.

"The Wrekin already encompasses major parts of Telford."

Mayor of Bridgnorth Ron Whittle said he could not speak on behalf of the town council, which had not discussed the matter.

But speaking in a personal capacity, he said he found it quite amusing.

"Does it really matter that much?" he said.

"Shouldn't we stick to what has been proposed, which is to go with alphabetical order?

"I know they are Telford & Wrekin Council, but Telford isn't mentioned at all, and it could be said that The Wrekin isn't as significant as the town of Bridgnorth.

"You can argue all sorts of ways, but the Government has proposed Bridgnorth and The Wrekin, and I'm happy with that, but that's my personal view."

The commission last month published its final proposals, after looking at the responses to a consultation earlier this year.

The changes are being made following the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 which called for a reduction in the number of MPs from 650 to 600.

After an initial consultation drawn up in autumn last year, the commission put forward proposed new boundary changes in January.

The public was then invited to comment on the changes, resulting in the latest proposals.

Members of the public are being invited to comment on the plans for a final time before they will go before the House of Commons in September next year.

Following the previous consultation, the commissioners said there had been significant support for plans to enlarge the existing Telford seat, and create a new constituency covering Bridgnorth, Wellington and The Wrekin.

They did, however, agree to drop “Wellington” from the name following objections on the grounds that the town had long been associated with The Wrekin, and that to mention it by name was superfluous.