§ Mr. WintertonWith your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I wish to present a Petition, on behalf of the residents of the Parish of Poynton with Worth, in Cheshire. The vast majority of the residents of this rural parish in Cheshire wish to object most strongly to the Government's proposals in the Local Government Bill to include this rural parish in the greater Manchester area under local government reorganisation.
The Petition, which I hope you will accept, Mr. Speaker, represents a very wide shade of opinion in this village. There are 6,658 names on the Petition, representing 83.6 per cent. of the total electorate of the area and representing 95.5 per cent. of those available who wish to comment on the reform of local government in England. The residents of the area feel very strongly and hope that a democratic decision will be reached by the House, so that under the reorganisation this rural parish is retained in the County of Cheshire.
The Petition concludes in the customary way, with the words
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.
§ To lie upon the Table.