Check your candidate before you vote, warning

The boundaries for all three constituencies, Rotherham, Rother Valley and Wentworth and Dearne, have changed since the last general election, which means that some of the town’s voters will find a change on their poll cards come May 6.

The reshuffle sees eight previously divided borough council wards—Brinsworth and Catcliffe, Hellaby, Sitwell, Rawmarsh, Rotherham East, Silverwood, Sitwell and Valley—reunited within one constituency.

Rother Valley has absorbed traditional Tory strongholds Hellaby and Sitwell wards, with Brinsworth and Catcliffe, Rotherham East and Valley all coming into the Rotherham constituency.

The newly-formed Wentworth and Dearne constituency has picked up Rawmarsh and Silverwood as well as two Barnsley Borough Council wards—Dearne North and Dearne South, which were previously part of Barnsley East and Mexborough.

The changes were made following a review in 2004 of boundaries across the country.

Rotherham, Barnsley and Sheffield were all included in the review which resulted in the publication of a series of recommendations.

A local enquiry was conducted in 2005 and an independent barrister ruled that the Boundary Commission's proposals for Rotherham were the best arrangements for the area at that time.

The re-shuffle means that the total number of voters for each constituency is closer to the national average of 69,935 voters and has no divided wards.

Confusion is already rife in the Sitwell area with some voters planning to back the wrong horse.

Andy Frith, agent for Lynda Donaldson, Conservative candidate for Rother Valley said: “While canvassing this week a number of residents in Sitwell have stated their intention to vote for Peter Thirlwall in the General Election.

“They are obviously not aware their ward has moved to Rother Valley and took some persuading this was the case too.”

The deadline for nominations is 4pm, next Tuesday, April 20.

 Polling cards for the local election, which will see one seat in each of the borough’s 21 wards up for grabs have already been sent out to by the 195,000 electors across the borough but they will now receive a separate poll card for the parliamentary election.

This will be of particular importance to 17,000 voters in the the Dearne North and Dearne South wards, which cover Bolton-on-Dearne, Goldthorpe and Thurnscoe, as they will vote for candidates to be elected onto Barnsley Borough Council in the local elections and for parliamentary candidates in the Wentworth and Dearne constituency.

The election for this parliamentary seat will be conducted by the returning officers at Rotherham Borough Council together with the Rotherham and Rother Valley parliamentary constituencies.

The count for the three parliamentary constituencies will take place at Magna.

For further information, contact Rotherham Electoral Services Office on 01709 823590 or Barnsley Electoral Registration Office on 01226 773070.

The new constituencies are:

Rother Valley: (72,237)

Anston and Woodsetts

Dinnington

Hellaby

Holderness

Maltby

Rother Vale

Sitwell

Wales

Rotherham: (65,305)

Boston Castle

Brinsworth and Catcliffe

Keppel

Rotherham East

Rotherham West

Valley

Wingfield

Wentworth and Dearne: (71,213)

Dearne North

Dearne South

Hoober

Rawmarsh

Silverwood

Swinton

Wath

Wickersley