A redraw of parliamentary constituencies will respect historic links between towns in West Lothian as the Boundary Commission prepares plans to cut the number of Scottish seats in Westminster.
West Lothian Council had objected to initial proposals for the two local constituencies to be rejigged in a way which would split Whitburn between a Livingston and Bathgate constituency, and other geographic inconsistencies.
The Boundary Commission for Scotland first drew up the proposals in January 2021 and when the plans came to the council for consultation a year ago the executive responded by saying it: “Regrets the statutory constraints that reduce Scotland’s representation at Westminster and make it difficult to respect the local and traditional relationships and links that are so important to voters.”
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The executive acknowledged that West Lothian would continue to be divided into two constituencies but called for specific historic ties to be respected.
Caroline Burton, from the chief executive’s office told this week’s meeting of the executive that the Boundary Commission had taken the council’s responses on board and agreed with the proposals.
The new constituencies will see Broxburn and Uphall joining the Livingston constituency while Winchburgh will join a renamed Bathgate and Linlithgow Constituency - it is currently proposed as Linlithgow and Bathgate. Whitburn and Blackburn will stay within this constituency rather than being split.
Depute council leader Kirsteen Sullivan had raised a motion objecting to the initial proposals tabled last December and welcomed the “common sense” decision.
She told the meeting: “I very much welcome the provision of the proposals that the entirety of the Whitburn and Blackburn ward will remain within the Bathgate constituency and reflect the historic links that there are with Bathgate and, also indeed the same for Broxburn and Uphall with Livingston. I think that common sense has definitely prevailed here.”
The Boundary Commission is looking at redrawing the constituency map for Scotland as part of a nationwide change.
The legislation specifies that there are to be 650 constituencies in total. Scotland has been allocated 57 constituencies, down from the current 59.
The legislation also specifies that no constituency is permitted to be more than 13,000km2 , and that every constituency must have an electorate that is between 95 per cent and 105 per cent of the UK electoral quota. That is between 69,724 and 77,062 electors. Special arrangements are made for island constituencies.
The revised proposals are:
Bathgate and Linlithgow
The proposed county constituency of Bathgate and Linlithgow (71,650 electors) is comprised of:
Ward 1 Linlithgow
Ward 2 Winchburgh
Ward 7 Whitburn and Blackburn
Ward 8 Bathgate
Ward 9 Armadale and Blackridge
Falkirk Council Ward 1 Bo’ness and Blackness.
Livingston constituency.
The proposed county constituency of Livingston (75,454 electors) is comprised of
Ward 2 Broxburn and Uphall
Ward 3 Livingston North
Ward 4 Livingston South
Ward 5 East Livingston and East Calder
Ward 6 Fauldhouse and the Breich Valley
The revised proposals can be viewed and commented on one the Commission’s consultation website at www.bcs2023review.com.
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