SCOTS are being asked for their opinions on proposals to shake up Holyrood’s constituencies and regions.
Boundaries Scotland wants to change the boundaries of seven more constituencies at the Scottish Parliament, including four that will have new names.
It has also proposed that four Holyrood regions have their boundaries amended, with one of them also having its name changed.
Boundaries Scotland is currently undertaking its first review of Holyrood constituencies since 2011, with any changes due to be in force by the 2026 election, providing they are approved by ministers.
The agency has proposed that four constituencies have both new names and boundaries.
That includes an amendment to the boundary of its proposed constituency of Linlithgow and Polbeth which will be renamed to Bathgate.
The proposed constituency of Callendar Park, Linlithgow and Stenhousemuir will be renamed Falkirk East and Linlithgow.
Boundaries Scotland said that following an earlier consultation its proposed constituency of Glasgow Airport and Langbank will be renamed Renfrewshire North and Cardonald.
The new constituency of Langbank and Phoenix Retail Park will be renamed Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley.
Another three areas will see boundary changes but keep their names.
They include Almond Valley, which will be amended by Polbeth; Falkirk West, which will be amended by Callendar Park and Stenhousemuir; and Paisley which will be amended at Phoenix Retail Park and Glasgow Airport to follow ward boundaries.
Meanwhile, changes have also been announced for four regions.
Under the plans, the Glasgow list area will include East Kilbride rather than Erskine, Renfrew and Cardonald.
The South Scotland region will no longer include East Kilbride, Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
The agency said that “special geographical circumstances have been applied due to its rurality and low population density”.
The West Scotland region will also include Renfrewshire North and Cardonald if the proposals go ahead.
Central Scotland will have both its boundaries and names changed by Boundaries Scotland.
The region would be renamed Central Scotland and Lothians West “to better reflect the fact that the entire Lothian area is too large to sit within a single region”.
The region will now include Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.
And Lothian would be renamed to Edinburgh and Lothians East “to reflect the fact that the entire Lothian area is too large to sit within a single region and to include Edinburgh”, although no boundaries will be altered.
The chairperson of Boundaries Scotland, Alisa Henderson, thanked those who have already taken part in the agency’s consultations.
She said: “We have used this information, alongside submissions to earlier rounds of consultation and previous local inquiries, to arrive at additional proposals that meet the legislative requirements, are fair across Scotland as a whole and reflect the natural boundaries of communities.
“We look forward to receiving submissions on these additional proposals.”
The consultation on new and changed boundaries will run until February 24 and can be found here.
