THE Boundary Commission was under more pressure last night to do a U-turn in respect of controversial changes to parliamentary seats, after the North-East’s main political parties rejected plans for socalled “super” constituencies.

At a commission hearing at Newcastle Civic Centre, representatives from Conservative, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all criticised elements of the proposals.

The biggest change will see a 1,600sq mile seat created, called Consett and Barnard Castle, from the edge of Darlington through Teesdale and Weardale, to Haltwhistle, in Northumberland.

North West Durham MP Pat Glass said the changes leading to the formation of the new seat – which she would likely contest for Labour – had been opposed by everyone.

Mrs Glass quoted The Northern Echo when she said: “Not even the Romans have tried to conquer this amount of remote territory.”

She said: “If a constituent in Haltwhistle wants to see their MP urgently and that MP happens to be in Barnard Castle holding a surgery, it would mean a return journey of several hours.”

Mrs Glass said under her counter proposal Haltwhistle and South Tynedale would go back into a Hexham seat, while Chopwell and Rowlands Gill would be added to her seat.

She said Tow Law, Crook and Willington would remain in North-West Durham and east and west Barnard Castle and Evenwood would remain in Helen Goodman’s Bishop Auckland seat.

She said: “I don’t blame the Boundary Commission for this – they have been given incredibly strict parameters to work with. I blame the Government for the legislation. They are taking away 50 MPs while at the same time creating 800 new Lords. That is not saving money, it is a gimmick.”

Conservative proposals would also redraw the map on existing constituency boundaries, rather than the radical shake-up proposed. This would mean retaining a Bishop Auckland seat that includes Barnard Castle and putting Consett and Weardale into an enlarged North-West Durham seat.

They would also scrap the proposal to create a seat – Sedgefield and Yarm – spanning the River Tees, from Shildon to Yarm and Ingleby Barwick, keeping it instead to the north of the Tees and expanding the existing Sedgefield seat to include Billingham.

In its formal submission, Labour opposed the initial proposals for seats in Durham, Hartlepool and Stockton and said the disregard of county boundaries in was a weakness. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Shipley, a former leader of Newcastle City Council, said the Lib Dems were recommending significant changes to nine proposed seats.

He said the party could not support the Consett and Barnard Castle proposal as it “lacked any cohesive basis”.

Referring to Sedgefield and Yarm, he said it fragmented Stockton borough and split up Billingham needlessly.

The Boundary Commission will continue to consult until December 5, and is expected to publish revised proposals midway through next year.

Another consultation period will follow before recommendations are made to the Government by October 1, 2013.