Consultations - Boundaries Scotland Local Inquiry
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Consultation
Boundaries Scotland is holding a Local Inquiry into its proposals for two Scottish Parliament constituencies: East Lothian; and Midlothian North and Musselburgh.
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Outcome
Responses to the consultation will be available to view on the consultation site consult.boundaries.scot
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Closing date
7 December 2023 -
Summary
The inquiry will be held on 7 December at Musselburgh Racecourse. Two sessions will be run, the first at 2pm until 4pm and the second at 6pm until 8pm. The Inquiry will be chaired by Sheriff Principal Ross and will provide an opportunity for councils, elected representatives and local people to put their views forward.
Boundaries Scotland consulted on its proposals for constituencies for the Scottish Parliament from 17 May to 18 June 2023. The proposals amended the existing East Lothian constituency boundary by Prestonpans, with Prestonpans being included in a Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency with Musselburgh, Wallyford, Dalkeith, Danderhall and Portobello.
While accepting the council area had too many electors for a single constituency, East Lothian Council formally objected to the proposals. Under the terms of the legislation where a council objects to a proposed constituency within its area then a Local Inquiry must be held. Other responses commented on the proposals breaking local ties between Prestonpans and other neighbouring communities as well as opposition to a constituency containing parts of three different council areas.
Scottish Ministers have appointed Sheriff Principal Ross to act as an Assistant Commissioner and chair this inquiry.
Information about the Local Inquiry is available in council offices and libraries, and is also available on the commission’s website at www.boundaries.scot.
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FAQs
Why are you changing things? Is this necessary?
If constituency boundaries never changed then over time they would become of very different sizes. This would undermine the fairness of elections as in one area an MSP might need many fewer votes to get elected than in an another area. That MSP might also represent many fewer people. In order to ensure your vote is of equal weight with others we conduct reviews around every 10 years.
Is this just a numbers game?
Numbers of electors are important as we want constituencies to contain roughly the same number of electors. But they aren’t the only factor and we look at council area boundaries, local ties, and geography as well. We must work within the legislative rules that govern our reviews and must balance all the factors in a fair way.
Does the proposed change to my electoral constituency affect local services, council tax or the council area I live in?
No. This review only affects the electoral constituency that you will vote in at the next Scottish Parliament election and the MSP that represents you. It has no impact on any of the services you currently access nor does it affect the council area you live in.
My proposed constituency crosses a council area boundary – isn’t that against the rules?
No. Rule 1 indicates we must have regard to local boundaries, but the electoral system for Scottish Parliament elections requires 73 constituencies and there are only 32 council areas. While we have regard to council areas it is not always possible to nest all constituencies within a single council area. For example, a council area might contain too many electors for one constituency, but too few for two constituencies. In those instances, constituency boundaries will cross local authority boundaries, but will have regard to the other rules, including local ties and geographic circumstances.
My proposed constituency contains a community I have nothing in common with and can’t even reach on public transport – why?
When boundaries change you sometimes will find a constituency contains a town or village that wasn’t included before. But this does not mean any local ties are broken. And because constituency boundaries don’t affect local services, school catchments, NHS provision and so on, there is no need for you to change your
current way of doing things. The only thing that changes is the constituency you vote in for a Scottish Parliament election.
My community has close links with another and we will now be in separate constituencies – will that affect how we work together?
Not necessarily. While you would elect different MSPs as you’d be in different constituencies this shouldn’t change your current activity. If your local MSP is involved in what you do then you might have two MSPs involved.
My existing constituency is close to the electorate quota, why are you changing it?
We have to consider the electorate of all constituencies across Scotland. Even if one particular constituency is close to the electorate quota we may need to amend the boundary due to a higher or lower electorate of neighbouring constituencies. The constituencies need to work for Scotland as a whole, not just one area.
Why are so many wards split? Is this not breaking Rule 1 of the Review?
Rule 1 of the review states “so far as practical, regard must be had to the boundaries of local government areas” but this refers to the council area or local authority boundary rather than the boundaries within it such as wards. In addition, the introduction of larger multi-member wards means it is unlikely for us to avoid dividing some ward boundaries between constituencies.
Will this review favour one political party over another?
As an independent and politically impartial body, we do not take into account patterns of voting, the results of past elections or possible effects on future elections when reviewing constituency boundaries. Nor do the political parties’ views on where boundaries should be, have any more weight than those of members of the public.
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How to get involved
Anyone who wishes to speak at the inquiry is invited to register:
- boundaries.scot@scottishboundaries.gov.uk
- 0131 244 2001