Scotland’s representation at Westminster is to be cut again, this time from 59 members of parliament to just 52.
The Boundary Commission for Scotland is today going to announce plans to revise the number of constituencies across the country in line with UK government plans to reduce the number of MPs throughout the UK from 650 to 600.
Scotland’s representation at Wesminster was cut after devolution from 72 to 59 and now it is to be cut again.
The detailed constituency proposals will be published in October and are sure to provoke a scramble as MPs try to protect their careers and their livelihoods.
The Boundary Commission's outline plan reveals that some exceptions have already been made. Constituencies are supposed to have no fewer than 72,810 electors, but the island constituencies of Orkney and Shetland and Na h-Eileanan an Iar have been given exemptions to this.
Constituencies are also supposed to be no bigger than 13,000 square kilometres and some other exemptions might be made to this rule too, if it proves too difficult to divide the Highlands into areas with enough electors in them.
The commission has already made clear that some local government electoral wards will have to be divided between constituencies.
There will be reductions in each part of the UK: England 502 constituencies in place of the current 533; Wales 30 in place of the current 40; and Northern Ireland 16 in place of the current 18.
The Boundary Commission is to hold a series of meetings around Scotland to explain its plans. The commission will publish its initial proposals on Thursday 13 October 2011 for a 12-week period of public consultation lasting until Wednesday 4 January.
During the consultation period, the commission will be holding five public hearings to allow the public to ask questions and express views about its plans.
The dates and venues of the public hearings will be:
● Edinburgh, City Chambers – Monday 14 November
● New Lanark World Heritage Site – Wednesday 16 November
● Glasgow, Teacher Building – Tuesday 22 November
● Inverness, Town House – Thursday 24 November
● Dundee, City Chambers – Tuesday 29 November
Each hearing will continue into a second day only if it has not been possible to accommodate all those wishing to speak during the first day.
The review is to report before 1 October 2013 so that the new constituencies can be available for use in the general election expected in May 2015.
Information on the initial proposals will be made available on the commission’s website and at selected public libraries and council offices.
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