Highland Council leader calls on the public to attend a public hearing next month in Inverness to voice their concerns about 'unreasonable' Boundary Commission plans to carve-up Westminster constituencies making representation by MPs nearly impossible
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Proposals that have been labelled “disastrous” for democracy in the Highlands will get a public hearing next month in Inverness.
The Boundary Commission for Scotland confirmed details of the meeting as part of its bid to reduce representation in the region by one MP for its 2023 Review of UK Parliament Constituencies.
The leader of Highland Council Margaret Davidson has welcomed confirmation that one of the five public hearings will take place in Inverness on February 25.
The current three Highland UK Parliament constituencies are – Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross; Ross, Skye and Lochaber; Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.
The commission proposed breaking the area into three new constituencies:
- Highland North – starts just north of Loch Ness moving towards Torridon and all of the north of Scotland
- Highland Central – runs from Torridon to Glenfinnan, taking Skye, Fort William Tomatin then towards the Moray Firth between Inverness and the airport
- Highland East and Elgin – assumes Badenoch and Strathspey, Elgin and Moray and along the coast as far as Buckie.
She said: “This is a chance for people to share their views in person on the Commission’s proposals to create new UK Parliament constituencies for the Highlands – Highland Central; Highland East and Elgin; Highland North.
“I urge anyone who wants to make representation either in person at the hearing or in writing to do so during this consultation period the Commission is running until March 23.
"It was felt that these proposals would have a damaging effect on democracy and representation for the Highlands and did not give sufficient consideration to the rurality of the Highlands, a council area larger than Belgium.”
Following a meeting of The Highland Council in December the leader wrote to the commission after members unanimously agreed to reject the commission’s initial proposals in its 2023 Review of UK Parliament Constituencies.
- The letter called on the commission to engage with the council to develop proposals which better reflected the needs of the Highlands, making the following key points:
- There is a real need to grant protected status for the Highlands similar to the Island constituencies of Orkney and Shetland and Na h- Eileanan an Iar.
- The proposals would significantly curtail an MPs’ ability to be visible and engage with constituents which given the existing size of the constituencies was already challenging. To create a constituency over 12,000 square kilometres as being proposed for Highland North was simply unreasonable.
- The proposals were predominantly focused on numbers and did not consider the very real geographical issues facing a large rural area such as Highland. Boundary proposals should take account of the unique geographic nature and remoteness of the Highlands, to maintain the integrity of the Highland boundaries and allow for these Parliamentary Constituencies to better reflect local community ties and current Ward boundaries.
- Members felt that future boundaries should reflect local community ties, Council and Ward boundaries and not cut through these ties simply to fulfil a numbers exercise. Specifically, there was very little relationship between Badenoch and Strathspey and Elgin. Equally Members did not support transferring part of the Ardnamurchan ward to Argyll and Bute Council.
- Members felt that there should be a fundamental review of the methodology and approach used by the Boundary Commission for Scotland.
The hearing in Inverness will take place on the 25 February at Jury’s Inn Hotel on Millburn Road, beginning at 10am and will include three sessions depending on demand running from 10am – 12pm; 2pm – 4pm; and 6pm – 8pm.
The public are asked to email to book a speaking slot, which they can do by clicking here
Anyone who wishes to comment but cannot do so in person is invited to submit their comments in writing by email, letter or on the commission’s interactive consultation portal between 10 February and 23 March 2022.
