Many of the rural villages around Huddersfield will be on the move when it comes to voting at the next General Election.

A shake-up of MPs’ Parliamentary constituencies will mean big changes in parts of Kirklees as a result of boundary changes.

The Dalton ward, which was entirely in Barry Sheerman’s Huddersfield constituency, will be split with Kirkheaton, Upper Heaton, Bog Green and Cockley Hill moving to a newly-created Spen Valley constituency.

Crosland Moor & Netherton will move from Tory MP Jason McCartney’s Colne Valley constituency to Huddersfield.

Meanwhile, the Dewsbury constituency of Tory Mark Eastwood – which included the Kirkburton ward – is being scrapped completely and Kirkburton is being split between a new Dewsbury & Batley constituency and a newly-created Wakefield West & Denby Dale seat.

Parts of Lepton, Houses Hill, Flockton and Grange Moor will join Dewsbury & Batley while Kirkburton, Highburton, Stocksmoor, Shepley, Skelmanthorpe, Scissett, Clayton West and Emley will become part of Wakefield West & Denby Dale.

Mr Eastwood, MP for Dewsbury since 2019, has been selected by the Conservatives to fight the new Wakefield West & Denby Dale seat. The next General Election is expected to be some time in 2024.

Jason McCartney (above left), Clr Paul Davies, Mark Eastwood with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (below, left) and Kim Leadbeater on patrol with police in Batley. Harpeet Uppal is pictured in St George’s Square.

The Batley & Spen seat, currently held by Labour’s Kim Leadbeater, is also being scrapped. It will be replaced by the Dewsbury & Batley seat and Spen Valley.

Mr McCartney has been re-selected to contest Colne Valley while Labour have chosen Kirklees Council Cabinet member Clr Paul Davies as their candidate.

In Huddersfield, Mr Sheerman is standing down at the next General Election after more than 40 years as the town’s MP.

First elected in 1979, he will be 83 in August. Writing on Twitter this week, Mr Sheerman revealed he had undergone surgery to remove a kidney. He said all had gone well but he was taking time away from Parliament.

Former Kirklees councillor Harpreet Uppal has been selected as the Labour candidate to replace Mr Sheerman.

There are currently 650 MPs in Parliament and constituencies are reviewed periodically by the independent Boundary Commission to take into account population changes and ensure there are a similar number of voters in each constituency.

The changes are said to be about fairness so that MPs have broadly similar numbers of constituents. Currently Colne Valley has around 86,000 constituents while Huddersfield has 66,000. The proposed changes would reduce Colne Valley to 71,000 while Huddersfield would increase to 76,000.

How the new Parliamentary boundary will carve up the Dalton ward. The area inside the blue boundary line is within the new Spen Valley constituency.

How the Kirkburton ward could be split. The area above the blue line shows Grange Moor and Flockton in the new Dewsbury & Batley constituency.

Mr Eastwood said the Boundary Commission was due to present its final report to the Speaker of the House of Commons in July when the new constituencies would be formally adopted.

He said representations had been made to the Boundary Commission for the whole of the Kirkburton ward to be moved to Wakefield West & Denby Dale and not be split up.

“Representations can be made by the political parties and there may be some minor tweaks,” he said. “I am quite sad that the Dewsbury seat will be no more but hope to continue to be Member of Parliament for the people of Kirkburton.”

The proposals for the new-look Kirklees constituencies are:

Colne Valley – Colne Valley, Golcar, Holme Valley North, Holme Valley South and Lindley.

Huddersfield – Almondbury, Ashbrow, Crosland Moor & Netherton, Dalton (part), Greenhead and Newsome.

Dewsbury & Batley – Batley East, Batley West, Dewsbury East, Dewsbury South, Dewsbury West, Kirkburton (part).

Spen Valley – Birstall & Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Dalton (part), Heckmondwike, Liversedge & Gomersal and Mirfield.

Wakefield West & Denby Dale – Denby Dale, Horbury & South Ossett, Kirkburton (part), Ossett, Wakefield Rural and Wakefield South.