PROPOSALS to alter Parliamentary boundaries have been met with a backlash from people in the Dearne.
Under the proposals, Dearne South would become part of Doncaster North, with Dearne North part of Barnsley East and Hemsworth.
After council leader Coun Sir Steve Houghton last week labelled the proposed changes ‘appalling,’ residents and councillors met at Goldthorpe Library on Tuesday to express their concerns.
David Hubery, 66, of Broadwater, Bolton-upon-Dearne, is chairman of the Dearne South Labour Branch.
He said: “We have been moved about that much in such a short period of time, every time the Tories get in they move the boundaries. It’s happened four times to my knowledge.
“There will be some roads in Bolton and Goldthorpe with one side of the road in Barnsley East and one side in Doncaster, we won’t have a clue who to go to.
“We are in no man’s land we’ve got a Sheffield postcode, a Rotherham phone number, we pay council tax to Barnsley and we’re going to be in a Doncaster constituency.”
Former Dearne South councillor Inky Thomson, 78, of Goldthorpe Green, said: ”When I started in politics we were in Hemsworth, then Barnsley East, then we went to Mexborough.
“It’s like a piece of chewing gum that’s stretching out further and further. It is the dilution of politics and of the community. We were making natural progress in this area and then they have reversed it.”
Dearne South councillors Ralph Sixsmith and Charlotte Johnson said the changes would undermine the relationship between Dearne North and South councillors and John Healey, MP for Wentworth and Dearne.
Coun Sixsmith said: “At the minute we can go see John Healey about anything and he will do anything you ask him to help. We are in danger of losing that cohesion we have built.
“We have built up confidence and are attracting businesses to Goldthorpe, and we feel that by doing this they are watering all that down.
“Every time we have felt the effects of the boundary changes, we think it’s about time for someone else to have a crack at it.
“We know why they have done it, it’s to reduce the number of MPs, but it’s funny that we are losing 34 while the Conservatives are only losing 13.”
Coun Johnson added: “We seem to be on the edge of everywhere but in the middle of nowhere. It’s going to divide the Dearne once again and we don’t want it.”
Lisa Davies, of Broadwater, said that people in Goldthorpe would not be understood within a constituency that stretches across to Doncaster.
Lisa, 43, said: “I have children in three different schools and none of them would be covered by our MP.
“I think this decision will lead to civil unrest and it may start in this area and spread.”
Chris Shaw, 63, is a landlord with several properties in Goldthorpe.
Chris, who lives in Brampton, said: “It’s another crazy idea, we’re just pulling together here and things are starting to work and they roll out something like this.
“It breaks people’s spirit and we’re all going to be affected by it, it makes people lose focus and that’s what they want.
“We are at that stage now with the business coming in and the Manvers development, it’s all been positive and it’s going back negative.”
Wentworth and Dearne MP John Healey said: “These new constituencies are bad for Barnsley and disastrous for the Dearne. If these changes go ahead, Goldthorpe will be split between two different MPs and the Dearne name will disappear altogether.
“People want to know their MP and who to go to when they need help or want to complain. Constantly changing constituencies makes this much harder.
“From the start, the Labour Party has fought this cut in constituencies and we’ll do all we can to stop these changes in the House of Commons.”
