HL Deb 25 October 1973 vol 345 cc748-53

Schedule 1, page 151, line 43, at end insert—

[No. 4] Greater Glasgow City of Glasgow The county of the city of Glasgow. In the county of Lanark—in the Ninth district, the electoral divisions of Baillieston, Garrowhill, Mount Vernon and Carmyle, Springboig. Rutherglen In the county of Lanark—the burgh of Rutherglen; in the Eighth district, the electoral divisions of Bankhead, Cambuslang Central, Cambuslang North, Hallside, Rutherglen, and those parts of Cambuslang South and Carmunnock electoral divisions lying out-with the designated area of East Kilbride New Town. Eastwood In the county of Renfrew—the First district. Kilpatricks In the county of Dunbarton— the burghs of Bearsden, Clydebank, Milngavie; the district of Old Kilpatrick (except the electoral divisions of Bowling, Dunbarton). Lanarkshire Strathkelvin In the county of Dunbarton— the burghs of Cumbernauld. Kirkintilloch; the district of Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld. In the county of Lanark—in the Ninth district, the electoral divisions of Chryston, Stepps; the burgh of Bishopbriggs. In the county of Stirling—the burgh of Kilsyth; the Western No. 3 district; the electoral division of Kilsyth West; the polling district of Kilsyth East (Banton). Monklands In the county of Lanark—the burghs of Airdrie, Coatbridge; the Ninth district (except the electoral divisions of Baillieston, Chryston, Garrowhill, Mount Vernon and Carmyle, Springboig, Stepps); in the Seventh district, the electoral division of Shottskirk. Motherwell In the county of Lanark—the burgh of Motherwell and Wishaw: the Sixth district, (except the electoral divisions of Bothwell and Uddington South. Uddington North), the Seventh district (except the electoral division of Shottskirk). Hamilton In the county of Lanark—the burgh of Hamilton; the; Fourth district (except the electoral division of Avon-dale); in the Sixth district, the electoral divisions of Bothwell and Uddington South, Uddington North; in the Eighth district, the electoral divisions of Blantyre, Stonefield, and that part of High Blantyre electoral division lying outwith the designated area of East Kilbride New Town. East Kilbride In the county of Lanark—the burgh of East Kilbride; in the Fourth district, the electoral division of Avondale; in the Eighth district, those parts of High Blantyre, Cambuslang South, and Carmunnock electoral divisions lying within the designated area of East Kilbride New Town. Lanark In the county of Lanark—the burghs of Biggar, Lanark; the First, Second, Third districts. Argyll and Clyde Dumbarton In the county of Dunbarton— the burghs of Dumbarton, Cove and Kilcreggan, Helens burgh; the districts of Helensburgh, Vale of Leven; the electoral divisions of Bowling, Dunbarton. Renfrew In the county of Renfrew—the burghs of Barrhead, John stone, Paisley, Renfrew; the Second, Third, Fourth districts. Inverclyde In the county of Renfrew—the burghs of Gourock, Greenock, Port Glasgow the Fifth district. Argyll In the county of Argyll—the burghs of Campbeltown, Dunoon, Inveraray, Lochgilp head, Oban, Tobermory; the districts of Cowal, Islay, Jura and Colonsay, Kintyre, Mid Argyll, Mull, North Lorn (except the electoral divisions of Ballachulish. Kinlochleven), South Lorn, Tiree and Coll. In the county of Bute—the burgh of Rothesay; the district of Bute. Ayrshire and Arran Cunningham In the county of Ayr—the burghs of Ardrossan, Irvine, Kilwinning, Largs, Saltcoats, Stevenston; the districts of Irvine, Kilbirnie, West Kilbride; those parts of the designated area of Irvine New Town within the Ayr and Kilmarnock districts. In the county of Bute—the burgh of Millport; the districts of Arran, Cumbrae. Kilmarnock and Loudoun In the county of Ayr—the . burghs of Darvel, Galston, Kilmarnock, Newmilns and Greenholm, Stewarlon; the district of Kilmarnock (except that part of the designated area of Irvine New Town within this district). Kyle and Carrick. In the county of Ayr—the burghs of Ayr, Girvan, Maybole, Prestwick, Troon; the districts of Ayr (except that part of the designated area of Irvine New Town within this district), Girvan, Maybole; that part of the parish of Ayr within the district of Dalmellington; the polling district of Coylton. Cumnock and Doon Valley. In the county of Ayr—the burgh of Cumnock and Holmhead; the districts of Cumnock, Dalmellington (except that part of the parish of Ayr within this district of Coylton).

[No. 5]

Page 151, line 44, leave out from beginning to end of line 16 on page 154. The Commons disagreed to these Amendments for the following Reason:

[No. 6]

Because the definition of districts presupposes a structure of four regions in place of the Strathclyde region and does not satisfactorily reflect community patterns on the periphery of Glasgow.

LORD POLWARTH

My Lords, I beg to move that this House doth not insist on their Amendments Nos. 4 and 5 to which the Commons have disagreed for the Reason numbered 6; namely, because the definition of districts presupposes a structure of four regions in place of the Strathclyde Region and does not satisfactorily reflect community patterns on the periphery of Glasgow. Your Lordships will recall that when we sent the Bill back to the Commons we had formed additional districts on the periphery of Glasgow entitled Kilpatricks, Rutherglen and Eastwood; and that we had added Bishopbriggs to the Strathkelvin district. The other place has not disagreed with the principle of what we have done, in reducing the size of the Glasgow district; but it has proposed a different way of arranging the peripheral areas, a way which accords with what we should have proposed in this place but for the procedural problems following our earlier decision.

May I just set out the differences proposed in the other place? First of all, there is Kilpatricks. In the form we sent to the other place this district comprises Clydebank, Bearsden and Milngavie. There was an Amendment here in the names of my noble friends Lord Selkirk and Lord Balerno to form one district for Clydebank and a separate one for Bears-den and Milngavie. As it turned out, that Amendment was not moved, but that is precisely what the other place has in fact proposed. They accept that the area should not form part of Glasgow but they do not think there is enough cohesion between Clydebank on the one hand and Bearsden and Milngavie on the other to warrant a single district. The two districts they propose would have populations of 59,000 and 36,000 respectively, the latter perhaps on the low side but by no means the lowest in the area. This is the solution which is favoured by the Government and I commend it to your Lordships. When we come to Strathkelvin, what was proposed previously by us was to add Bishopbriggs to the Strathkelvin district. The view taken by the other place is that this would result in an unwieldy district with three distinct centres within it. They have suggested dividing it into two with Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch forming one district with a population of about 77,000, and Cumbernauld another with a population of about 50,000. This was at one time to have been moved by the same noble Lords here, but for the same reasons I have already mentioned it was not moved. Again I commend it to your Lordships. Then there was Eastwood. The other place has accepted without change our proposal for a separate Eastwood district.

Finally there is Rutherglen. This is the one point on which there is substantial difference between the two Houses and on which I understand my noble friend Lord Selkirk has put down a manuscript Amendment. Again for procedural reasons, Rutherglen was never fully discussed in this place. At the Committee stage there was an Amendment standing in the name of my noble friend Lord Selkirk but it related to Cambuslang but not Rutherglen. The matter was discussed but it was not pressed. At Report stage it was not discussed for these procedural reasons. The view taken in the other place is that, while some of the considerations applying in other peripheral areas were present in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, they were not nearly so strong, while the links with Glasgow were greater. The centre of Rutherglen is almost a stone's throw from the city centre; the distance from the town hall of Rutherglen to the City Chambers in Glasgow, I understand, is 2½ miles. Its built-up area is continuous with Glasgow along a large amount of its boundary. If I could put it another way, the other areas which we decided to detach are, as it were, peninsulas united to Glasgow by an isthmus of built-up area.

With Rutherglen the position is totally different; it represents a salient into virtually the heart of the city. To remove Rutherglen along with Cambuslang would be to take a large bite out of the apple of Glasgow as a whole. There are particularly close links in the number of population travelling to work between the two centres and in many other ways, and for these reasons the other place concluded, on the Government's advice, that Rutherglen should be treated differently. I know that some of your Lordships may not find this argument easy to accept, but I submit that we are now dealing with a very narrow area of possible disagreement, and I hope that your Lordships will decide not to press this matter further.

Moved, That this House doth not insist on their Amendments Nos. 4 and 5 to which the Commons have disagreed.—(Lord Polwarth.)

THE EARL OF SELKIRK

My Lords, may I thank the noble Lord for retaining the name "Hamilton" in the district concerned. I will reserve my remarks with regard to Rutherglen for an Amendment which comes in a minute.

On Question, Motion agreed to.