Following proposals unveiled to redraw political boundaries, Gavin Engelbrecht asks people in Consett for their views on the proposals, while Helen Smithson asks people in Barnard Castle what they know about Consett.

BILL CLEASBY, 80, of Shotley Bridge, near Consett, said: “I think it is a good idea really.

I think there are too many MPs to start with.

“I think that if what they are trying to do is to get every constituency with the same number of people, then it is obvious that a rural area will be much larger.

“It is true to say that there was never any chance of any other party being voted in here (Consett).

Click here to view an interactive map showing the boundaries before and after

“It has always been totally Labour, though their majority has been reduced. Labour will have to work harder for its votes now. If the MP is based in Barnard Castle we will never see them.

STUART McFARLANE, from Middleton-in-Teesdale, said: “I have heard of Consett, but it is not somewhere I have been or somewhere I would go. I don’t know anything about it.”

ALAN COOK, 62, of Consett, said: “They can make the whole lot one big constituency as far as I am concerned.

“They are all screwing the country – pretending to do something when they are not.

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Consett

• Population 27,300
• Unemployment: 10.6 per cent
• Employment: Many public-sector jobs, commuters and about 1,000 in food manufacture
• Political makeup: Eight county councillors – four independents, three Labour and one Lib Dem

Barnard Castle

• Population 6,500
• Unemployment: 8.9 per cent (in Teesdale)
• Employment: Pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, with more than 1,000 staff, is area’s biggest employer.
• Political makeup: Four Tory county councillors

“What will happen by creating a Consett and Barnard Castle constituency is that you will get a greater crosssection of people voting, which might make the politicians less complacent.

“Getting elected to Parliament is like winning the lottery.

They get a good wage as an MP and all the allowances for their offices and second homes away from their constituencies.”

DAVE BAKER, from Barnard Castle, said: “I know that Phileas Fogg crisps used to be made in Consett, but apart from that, I know very little about it.”

MICHAEL BREEN, 52, of Blackhill, Consett, said: “The new constituency will be a very big area. It will take away from Consett’s Labour stronghold by adding a large agricultural area to the small industrial area of Consett.

“The boundaries have always been changed to suit whoever is in power. If the MP is based in Barnard Castle, people will have to travel far to see him or her.

“You cannot be a voice for the people if you are so far away. I don’t care what they say about emails and texts.

MPs can just ignore them.

DALE ROBSON, from Barnard Castle, said: “I know it is a small town up in the hills a good distance away from here. I do not really have any reason to go there. It is not somewhere you can cut through.”