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1.1The constituencies in Sheffield were last reviewed in 1992. This review was forced to use wards that were of greatly varying sizes, with the consequence that is was very difficult to come to an optimal solution. Sheffield’s wards were completely redrawn in 2003 and are now all the same size electorally, to within a few percent.
1.2 In the ward review all parties recognised that the population of Sheffield would only "qualify" for about five-and-a-half constituencies in the following constituency review. Consequently, all submissions recommended 28 wards. This would greatly ease arranging whole numbers of wards into constituencies. Three wards should form a constituency shared with some area of an adjoining authority. The rest of the city could then be arranged into five constituencies of five wards each.
2.1The Boundary Commission proposes a seat made up of the northern-most wards of Sheffield and the westernmost wards of Barnsley. I support this proposal.
2.2 Almost all of this proposed seat contains rural towns and villages and comprises parts of the old West Riding that were outside Sheffield and Barnsley. Almost all the seat is covered by Parish Councils. Penistone and Stocksbridge, particularly, share a common Pennine character. Transport links between Penistone and Stocksbridge are often better than their respective links into Barnsley and Sheffield. Many residents of Stocksbridge travel to Penistone or Barnsley for shopping.
2.3 Ecclesfield Parish, made up of most of the West Ecclesfield and East Ecclesfield wards, is also a grouping of rural communities. They see themselves as outside Sheffield in the same way as Stocksbridge.
2.4 Prior to 1983 most of this area formed a Penistone constituency. There is historic continuity in reviving the Penistone seat.
2.5 A councillor from Barnsley MBC has discussed with me the possibility of Barnsley MBC recommending that Rockingham ward be included in this seat instead of Dodworth. Dodworth ward is very close to Barnsley Town Centre, whereas Rockingham is a more rural ward. As all Barnsley wards now have a near-equal electorate any one other ward could join Penistone West and Penistone East in the new constituency.
3.1The Boundary Commission proposes a seat made up of the southeastern wards in Sheffield. I support this proposal.
3.2 Sheffield South-East is bounded by the Sheffield Outer Ring Road to its west and the Sheffield Parkway to its north. These are strong geographical features on the ground and these clearly delineate the proposed constituency.
4.1The Boundary Commission proposes a seat made up of the wards that run from Graves Park across to Darnall. I support the proposal for a Heeley constituency, but with one modification compared to the Boundary Commission proposal.
4.2 The Sheffield Heeley seat should be made up of the wards of Beauchief & Greenhill, Graves Park, Gleadless Valley, Arbourthorne and Manor & Castle. This modifies the Boundary Commission initial proposal be including Beauchief & Greenhill instead of Darnall.
4.3 The Boundary Commission proposal puts Beauchief & Greenhill in a Sheffield Hallam seat. Beauchief & Greenhill is on the other side of the Sheaf Valley from the rest of the proposed Hallam seat. Additionally, the population in Beauchief & Greenhill is concentrated around its southern, eastern and northern edges. Beauchief & Greenhill runs into the adjoining Graves Park ward with very little to be seen on the ground.
4.4 The Boundary Commission propose putting Darnall in the Heeley seat. The Sheffield Parkway forms a strong boundary between Darnall and the rest of the Heeley seat. When looking a ward map of Sheffield, the grouping of the five wards from Beauchief & Greenhill to Manor & Castle is a very noticeable feature.
4.5 This proposed Heeley seat is strongly bounded by the River Sheaf and A61 on its western edge, the A630 Sheffield Parkway to its north and the A6102 Outer Ring Road along most of its eastern edge.
5.1The Boundary Commission proposes a Brightside seat that runs from Hillsborough across to Shiregreen & Brightside. I support the proposal for a Brightside constituency, but with one modification compared to the Boundary Commission proposal.
5.2 The Sheffield Brightside seat should be made up of the wards of Southey, Firth Park, Burngreave, Shiregreen & Brightside and Darnall. This modifies the Boundary Commission initial proposal by including Darnall instead of Hillsborough.
5.3 The Boundary Commission proposes included Hillsborough ward in the Brightside constituency. This proposal splits Hillsborough ward from Stannington and Walkley. Hillsborough, Stannington and Walkley form a "Greater Hillsborough", expanded on in the following section. The upper Don valley forms a strong geographical boundary between Hillsborough and Walkley wards and Southey and Burngreave wards.
6.1 There are ten wards in the western part of Sheffield bounded by the River Don and the River Sheaf. The River Rivelin runs through the center of this area. Most of the area south of the Rivelin forms a natural Hallam community, and most of the area north of the Rivelin forms a "Greater Hillsborough". The Rivelin Valley, consequently, forms a natural boundary between a Hallam seat and a Hillsborough seat.
6.2 The wards of Stannington, Hillsborough and Walkley focus around the centre of Hillsborough. The communication links in Stannington all flow into Hillsborough, and Walkley runs into Hillsborough from the south. There are many local landmarks and facilities that have the name "Hillsborough" in them that are in all three wards. Hillsborough Barracks is in Walkley ward, Hillsborough Golf Club is in Stannington ward and Hillsborough Park is in Hillsborough ward, to name just three.
6.3 Consequently, these three wards should form the core of a constituency. The Boundary Commission proposals would put these three wards in three separate constituencies, with a constituency boundary running through the centre of the Hillsborough shopping centre.
6.4 The wards of Dore & Totley, Ecclesall and Fulwood form the core of Hallam. Hallamshire for many years has been the area between the River Sheaf and the River Rivelin. The Boundary Commission proposal includes Stannington in the Hallam seat. Stannington’s links are with Hillsborough to its east, not with Fulwood to its south. Other than one very steep and narrow road there are no road links across the Rivelin Valley linking Stannington with Fulwood.
6.5 The Don and Sheaf valleys naturally group the west of Sheffield together. The question arises as to how to arrange a border between the two constituencies in this area. Stannington, Hillsborough and Walkley form a "Greater Hillsborough" and Dore & Totley, Ecclesall, Nether Edge and Fulwood form a "Hallamshire". It has to be decided which seat the three wards of Crookes, Broomhill and Central should go into.
6.6 About three quarters of Crookes ward is a geographical extension of Fulwood. Fulwood and Nether Green run into Sandygate and Crosspool. Travelling north from Crookes the Bole Hills mark the end of Crookes and the beginning of Walkley.
6.7 Crookes and Fulwood run into Broomhill, but the character of Broomhill is quite different. In recent years with the increase in the student population, Broomhill has increasingly looked towards the City Centre and the Universities in the east of the Broomhill ward and in Central ward. The Commonside area in the north of the Broomhill ward has ties to Walkley and Upperthorpe, and was included in the Broomhill ward at the ward review only to ensure the numbers added up. At the initial stages most parties argues for Commonside to be included in Walkley.
6.8 Most of Central ward has city-centre characteristics which it does not share with any other area of Sheffield. However, Central ward has strong links with Broomhill ward, due to the University and student dominance. In the north of Central ward the area runs into Netherthorpe, which is in Walkley ward. New riverside developments around Cornish Place and Green Lane are on the borders of Walkley ward.
6.9 It is a fine judgment, but on balance I believe that Crookes ward should join the other four south-west wards to form the Hallam constituency. The greater part of Crookes is an eastwards continuation of Fulwood ward. While Broomhill shares its built character with Fulwood, its community shares much more with Central in the east and Walkley in the north.
6.10 I therefore recommend that the wards of Dore & Totley, Ecclesall, Nether Edge, Fulwood and Crookes form a Sheffield Hallam constituency.
6.11 I therefore recommend that the wards of Stannington, Hillsborough, Walkley, Broomhill and Central form a Sheffield Hillsborough constituency. The name of the seat could equally be Sheffield Hillsborough & Central or Sheffield Central & Hillsborough.
6.12 Looking at a map of the proposed Hillsborough seat would suggest that it is a strange shape. However, less than 1000 people live west of Stannington and Loxley (Bradfield PD: 346 electors, Dunworth PD: 317 electors). The population of Stannington ward is concentrated around the edge of Hillsborough and Walkley wards. The populated part of the constituency is geographically about the same size and shape as the proposed Heeley constituency.