Copeland Council has backed plans to shake up the borough's Parliamentary boundaries – but members have objected to its proposed name.

Under the plans being considered to reduce Cumbria’s six Parliamentary constituencies into five, a new coastal constituency with one MP would be created.

The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has suggested that the constituency is named 'Workington and Whitehaven'. However, Copeland Council says its preferred name is the 'West Cumbria Constituency' or, failing that, the 'Whitehaven and Workington Constituency' to put them in order of size and alphabetically.

The newly-created constituency would take in large parts of the current Copeland constituency and extend north as far as Maryport, incorporating areas including Harrington, Workington, Seaton and Flimby.

Heading south, it would end at Muncaster and a host of current Copeland areas including Bootle, Waberthwaite, Haverigg and Millom, would move to the Barrow and Furness constituency.

Keswick, currently part of Copeland, would move into the Penrith and Solway seat.

Aside from the name plea, Copeland has lodged no objection in its formal response to the BCE consultation which ended this week.

David Moore, a member of Copeland's Executive, said: "This is one of the more sensible boundary changes that has been put forward by the Boundary Commission."

In voting law, every constituency must be within five per cent of the electoral quota of 74,769; Copeland currently falls well below the limit (60,785) and the change proposed as a result.

There are two more consultations in 2017 before recommendations are made to Parliament in September 2018. If agreed, the new constituencies will be in use for the next General Election scheduled for 2020.