BRIGG LOOKS IN DANGER OF LOSING STATUS IT HAS ENJOYED FOR 136 YEARS

 

Brigg looks in danger of losing status it has enjoyed since Queen Victoria was the reigning monarch.
The first Brigg Constituency was created by Parliament in 1885 to send an MP to the House of Commons, later carrying the names Brigg & Scunthorpe, Brigg and Cleethorpes and latterly Brigg & Goole.
However, proposals are now being considered which, if eventually accepted, will remove Brigg & Goole and divide it between some neighbours, with the newly-created constituency requiring a name.
If our town becomes part of this new Parliamentary seat, Coun Rob Waltham has already said he does not favour the suggested South Humber County Constituency title and would prefer to see its name reflect Northern Lincolnshire. He mentioned the current boundary review during Brigg Town Council's latest meeting.
The Boundary Commission is an independent national organisation that reviews Parliamentary areas and makes recommendations to the Government for decisions to be made.
The latest review is for 2023 but members of the public have until Monday, August 2 THIS YEAR to voice any opinions they may have.
The proposal currently under discussion involves a new constituency, provisionally including Brigg & Wolds, Appleby & Broughton, Barton, Killingholme, Immingham and also some rural areas adjoining Grimsby & Cleethorpes which are south of Laceby.
Other local constituencies featuring in the Boundary Commission proposals are Scunthorpe (including some rural parts of North Lincolnshire) and Gainsborough (including settlements near Brigg that are in West Lindsey).
The aim is to adjust some seats to try and equate the number of electors within constituencies - the requirement being between 70,000 and 77,000.
Brigg Blog's first thought on hearing about this was: call the new seat Brigg & Immingham.
This would continue an historic Parliamentary naming policy stretching back 136 years by retaining Brigg in the title.
Failing that, something to reflect the northern part of the old county, perhaps Northern Lincolnshire, would be preferable to the suggested South Humber.
Some people in Brigg still receive letters addressed to 'South Humberside' although this was abolished back in 1996 when North Lincolnshire Council was established to replace the Beverley-based county authority.
We've already made our personal views known to the Boundary Commission. Have YOUR say by following this link...
A Boundary Commission document setting out the "initial proposals" says the South Humber County Constituency would have 71,628 electors.
View the detailed consultation map through this link...

The bird's eye view of Brigg town centre seen here is by Neil Stapleton.