PROPOSALS to reshape the electoral face of North Yorkshire have sparked reactions ranging from celebration, astonishment and outright fury.

Click here to view the existing and proposed North Yorkshire boundaries

While most MPs in the county remained tight-lipped about changes to their constituencies, their rivals and supporters said the Boundary Commission’s blueprint will have a massive impact on the area if it is introduced in 2013 without changes.

Foreign Secretary William Hague’s spokesman said he would not be commenting on the proposal to realign his Richmond constituency with Thirsk, while a spokesman for Julian Smith said he was studying the proposals to include Upper Wensleydale in his Ripon and Skipton seat.

Anne McIntosh, whose Vale of York seat disappeared last year before she was elected to represent the new Malton and Thirsk constituency, said the boundary changes were a very emotional subject.

She said: “In terms of responding to the changes, I shall wait and see what happens nearer the time.”

York Outer MP Julian Sturdy admitted the changes were radical, but said he respected the independence of the commission and its right to make the proposals.

Patrick Kelly, chairman of York Labour Party, said it was looking at the proposals with an open mind. Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones was unavailable for comment.

The proposals have also been greeted with dismay in the North-East. The Northern Echo reported yesterday of the hostility towards the planned creation of a 1,600 square mile seat in the west of County Durham, running from the edge of Darlington through Teesdale and Weardale to Haltwhistle in Northumberland.

However, Government minister Eric Pickles has broken ranks with other Conservative MPs to criticise the proposals.

He said: “I have seen some very peculiar decisions, particularly in Yorkshire, but I hope that revised plans might be able to ensure communities survive.”

Both Mr Pickles and Jonathan Roberts, a former Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Thirsk and Malton, agreed the proposed new boundaries failed to take some communities into account.

Mr Roberts said: “The new boundaries seem to have been drawn arbitrarily, and the sheer vastness of the new constituencies will make effective parliamentary representation more difficult to achieve.”

Caroline Seymour, Liberal Democrat councillor for Stokesley, said she was shocked at the proposal to move her ward into a constituency which included the outskirts of York and Filey.

She said: “I am very unhappy about this. The area they are talking about is not a community.”

Upper Dales Independent councillor John Blackie said he was aghast at the proposal to split Swaledale and Arkengarthdale into the Richmond constituency, and Upper Wensleydale into the Skipton constituency.

He said: “They share the same issues and the same problems. There is a huge number of family and community connections and this pursuit of electoral equality will rip those assunder.”

Fellow Independent councillors, Andrew Williams, who represents Ripon South, and Ryedale members Paul Andrews and John Clarke said they thought the changes would result in constituents being less represented.

Mr Clarke said: “It is an exercise in the opposite of localism.”

Mr Andrews said: “How can Anne McIntosh get around this huge new constituency and give us all the same service that she has in the past?

It’s completely impossible.”

However, Gareth Dadd, North Yorkshire County councillor for Thirsk, said he was celebrating the decision to cut the number of politicians.

He said: “Thirsk is going back home. At long last it has been recognised that the community of Thirsk has much stronger links with Northallerton, Richmond and the Dales than Malton and Filey.

“We will welcome William Hague back to Thirsk. I don’t think distance is too much of an issue these days.”

How the review may change the county's make-up

Richmond and Thirsk
Electorate 75,898. MP William Hague
ITS new southern border will stretch just south of Muker and Thwaite and follow a curve down to the Helperby ward. Its proposed eastern boundary would stretch beyond Thirsk to take in the Whitestonecliffe and White Horse wards, and the ward of Rudby in the North-East.

Malton
Electorate 79,140. MP Anne McIntosh
NEW boundaries would extend much farther north to take in most of the North York Moors. In the north, it would extend to the Stokesley and Great Ayton wards. In the south, it would take to the outskirts of York, taking in the Strensall ward, from the City of York and Shipton and Tollerton. A leg of the proposed constituency would extend out to include Filey, on the East Coast. In the west, it would stop short of the existing Thirsk ward, at the Helmsley ward boundary.

Harrogate and Knaresborough
Electorate 79,817. MP Andrew Jones
CONSTITUENCY would be much larger than the existing one of the same name. It would include three wards from the Selby and Ainsty constituencies in the south and include the Boroughbridge ward in the north.

Skipton and Ripon
Electorate 77,337. MP Julian Smith
WOULD stretch from wards surrounding Ripon in the east to Bentham, near the Lancashire border, in the west, taking in Hawes, Leyburn and Middleham wards.

York Outer
Electorate 79,633. MP Julian Sturdy
THE boundaries will stretch to just beyond Tadcaster in the west, the district of Haxby in the north and to South Duffield in the south-east.

Scarborough and Whitby
Electorate 76,078. MP Robert Goodwill
REMAINS unchanged.

Leeds North West and Nidderdale
Electorate 79,439. MP Greg Mulholland
WILL stretch as far east as Spofforth and to the outskirts of Ilkley and Pateley Bridge in the West with four wards from the City of Leeds.

• The commission is consulting the public on the proposals for a 12-week period up to December 5 at http://consultation. boundarycommissionforengland. independent.gov.uk/ The nearest public hearing will take place at the Golden Lion, 114 High Street, Northallerton, on October 20 and 21.