Badenoch and Strathspey MP calls for proposed Westminster boundaries to be scrapped
SNP MP Drew Hendry has called for Boundary Review proposals for the Highlands to be scrapped saying that they will leave the region under-represented at Westminster.
It follows the start of a new round of public consultation on the 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies.
The review has concluded that the region's constituencies should be divided into ‘Highland North’, ‘Highland Central’ and ‘Highland East and Elgin’.
Badenoch and Strathspey would be part of Highland East and Elgin – with the strath’s name being taken off the UK parliamentary map.
The new constituencies reduce Highland representation by one MP as part of the UK Government’s reduction of Scottish representation in Parliament by two MPs.
Mr Hendry has raised concerns that proposals will leave the Highlands underrepresented due to the scale of the changes and the creation of new constituencies, including the largest ever constituency in the UK.
He has highlighted that current proposals for Inverness would lead to the city being divided from its immediate surrounding areas, including its airport.
Mr Hendry said: “It is vital that any changes to boundaries in the Highlands reflects the real lives of the people living in our communities, as this is essential for public trust and true representation.
“I have urged the Boundary Commission to reflect on their decisions given the scale of the proposed changes, which will include the creation of the UK’s largest ever constituency in Highland North, which is actually bigger than 49 countries.
"It is, farcical and insulting to people in the Highlands.
“The Boundary Commission has seemingly made its decisions based solely on a very literal interpretation of the population criteria, ignoring real-life factors such as local transport links, employment, or even the ability to reasonably cross a constituency in a single day.
“The proposals will also divide Inverness from its surrounding areas, meaning the city and the airport won’t be in the same constituency, but Inverness and the whole of Skye will be joined together.
“As anyone living here will know, there continues to be significant growth in and around Inverness.
"According to NHBC registration data, my constituency of Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey has had consistently above average new homes built within its communities over the past several years.
"NHBC registrations for this area were over twice the national average for the whole of 2021, more than double for 2019, and even during the first year of the pandemic, were nearly 20 per cent higher than the UK national average.
“Our communities continue to grow and reducing representation for people living in the Highlands should be unthinkable.
“The very fact that The Boundary Commission is only holding a single event in the Highlands, in Inverness, speaks to the lack of consideration for the people who live here or understanding of the sheer distances people would need to travel to attend their event.
“These proposals must be reconsidered, and a proper consultation undertaken with impacted communities.
“I would encourage the public to make their views heard, as the Boundary Commission has been granted flexibility on these changes due to sheer scale of the constituencies involved.”
The Boundary Commission public consultation on the proposals runs until March 23.
It is encouraging members of the public to share their views by writing in and in person at a public hearing in the Jury’s Inn Hotel in Inverness this Friday (February 25). Emails to the consultation can be sent to bcs@scottishboundaries.gov.uk.
