MAJOR changes are being proposed which could change the face of Bury’s Parliamentary seats and leave the town’s current MPs battling for their futures.

Under today's proposals from the Boundary Commission for England, both Bury North and Bury South constituencies will be abolished.

A new Bury constituency would be formed mainly from the existing Bury North wards, with the addition of the Radcliffe East Ward from the current Bury South area.

The town of Radcliffe will be split, with its North and West wards used to form part of a new Farnworth constituency — made up mainly of wards from the current Bolton South East seat, with another Bury South addition in Pilkington Park.

It is Ivan Lewis’s Bury South seat that will see the most changes, effectively divided up amongst three newly formed constituencies.

With three wards potentially moving to form the Farnworth seat and the Radcliffe East ward subsumed into the new Bury seat, the remaining Bury South wards of Besses, Holyrood, Sedgley, St Mary’s and Unsworth will help to create a new Prestwich and Middleton constituency area along with five Rochdale wards.

The proposed changes mean that both Bury South and North MPs Ivan Lewis and David Nuttall could be forced to battle it out for the one Bury seat, or they could chose to aim to be selected for one of the newly formed seats.

Mr Lewis said: "These proposals abolish my hometown constituency which I have been proud to represent for the past nineteen years. Naturally, this is a surprise and has major implications for local residents and politicians from all  parties who serve the people of Bury South.

"I will be consulting my constituents and Labour party colleagues before deciding on our response to the boundary commission consultation.

"The commission claim they seek to maintain community identity yet their proposal would divide both Radcliffe and Whitefield which are both distinct, proud communities. I am particularly concerned by this element of the  proposed changes."

Across the country, the reforms would see the number of MPs cut from 533 to 501 in England, from 40 to 29 in Wales, from 59 to 53 in Scotland and from 18 to 17 in Northern Ireland — meaning an overall reduction of 50 seats in the UK.

It should be stated that these are currently just proposals and a public consultation has now been launched to get feedback on what has been put forward.

That consultation will help to create final proposals, due in October 2018 and if Parliament then votes them through, the new electoral boundaries will be in place before the next General Election in 2020.

To take part in the consultation, visit bce2018.org.uk