Drawing new boundaries

That is when the period of public scrutiny and further comment on feedback received from the commission’s pubilc consultation ends.

The comments are available to view at www.bcs2018.org.uk – where full transcripts from the five public hearings that were held in November and December last year in Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, have also been published.

The initial proposals sees a slight change in the make-up of the constituencies in the region, with two constituencies wholly within Midlothian and Scottish Borders council areas.

The Boundary Commission for Scotland has today published its initial proposals for a new map of UK Parliamentary constituencies in Scotland. Part of its 2018 review, the publication marks the start of a 12-week public consultation on the proposals, running until Wednesday 11 January 2017.

Scottish borders
The UK Parliament has decided to reduce the number of constituencies from 650 to 600. In Scotland this means that 59 constituencies will be reduced to 53. — The Boundary Commission for Scotland has today published its initial proposals for a new map of UK Parliamentary constituencies in Scotland. Part of its 2018 review, the publication marks the start of a 12-week public consultation on the proposals, running until Wednesday 11 January 2017. Scottish borders The UK Parliament has decided to reduce the number of constituencies from 650 to 600. In Scotland this means that 59 constituencies will be reduced to 53.

When the boundary change proposals were released, Calum Kerr MP said he welcomed the fact that he would not lose any of his current constituents, and that he “would, of course, look forward to the opportunity to represent additional communities in the Scottish Borders.”

But he felt now was not the time to reduce the number of MPs.

He said: “With the likely need for extra scrutiny off the back of the many changes that Brexit will bring and the powers that it will see repatriated, we need Parliament to be at its best, not fretting about who will lose out from this process.

“These changes don’t go far enough if we really want to see a better democracy, that’s more representative and more responsive to the needs of ordinary people. Rather than fixating on the number of MPs, we should be looking at a fairer electoral system and, of course, reforming the unelected House of Lords.

“With over 800 members, the Lords is actually the second largest legislative chamber in the world. If we’re looking at downsizing in Parliament that would be the obvious place to start.”