Falkirk councillor warns Scottish Parliament boundary changes will confuse voters

A councillor says boundary changes to Scottish Parliament constituencies would mean 'butchering' the part of Falkirk district he represents.

Proposed changes to Holyrood constituencies would see the Denny & Banknock ward split and a large part of it being represented by the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth MSP.

The latest proposals in a review by Boundaries Scotland suggest Falkirk district would be split across three areas: Falkirk North, Falkirk South; and Cumbernauld & Kilsyth.

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Councillor Alf Kelly says it would be confusing for the electorate if Denny and Banknock were to be included in the North Lanarkshire constituency, while Longcroft and Haggs were part of Falkirk South.

Cllr Kelly said: "The Denny and Banknock ward has been embedded within Falkirk and the Forth Valley for many years.

"The hospital and the NHS facilities that Ward 3 uses are all within the Forth Valley.

"Our library services and our education services are managed by Falkirk Council.

"The Police Scotland Commander for the area is also based in Falkirk, while the police community teams for the ward are based in Larbert."

Cllr Kelly is particularly concerned about the effect on the village of Banknock which has very close ties with neighbouring Haggs and Longcroft.

In a statement, he said: "The communities share bus routes, polling places, and the same community centre."

He also points out that the changes do not appear to have taken into account polling places that have just been agreed for forthcoming elections, unchanged from the last election.

He said: "The primary community facility that has operated as a polling place for the village is Banknock Community Hall, which is located conveniently to the east of the village which gives those in Haggs, Longcroft and Allandale easier access to the facility."

He also questioned the separation from Bonnybridge, saying this would be "difficult, confusing and acutely impactful on the people of Banknock".

"The GP clinic is a satellite of the Bonnybridge clinic and with multiple issues currently reported in accessing local health services reported by constituents this creates an acutely concerning overlap of accountability from elected members," he said.

Cllr Kelly also believes it would be more difficult for constituents to get to their MSP, as the current Cumbernauld and Kilsyth MSP, Jamie Hepburn, has an office in Cumbernauld, with no direct bus service.

The MSP for Falkirk West Michael Matheson has his office in Falkirk, which does have a direct bus.

Cllr Kelly said: "As a local member of the council and a long-standing resident of Banknock I ask for this community not to be butchered in the way proposed."

Falkirk Council's executive is also expected to object to the proposals when it meets tomorrow (Tuesday).

Boundaries Scotland says it welcomes all comments on the proposals, whether supportive or not, to help inform deliberations but all feedback must be received by Wednesday, May 15.

Full details of the proposed constituencies can be found on the Boundaries Scotland consult.boundaries.scot.

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