Yes. The public consultation process is designed to allow everyone to express their view for or against our proposals. You can do this by letter or email, using our contact details given on this website. During consultation periods, we have a response form on this website. You can express your views in person at local inquiries. Views in support of our proposals are as important as those against.

We conduct a periodic review Scottish Parliament boundaries every 8 to 12 years. We can conduct an Interim Review of Scottish Parliament boundaries between periodic reviews if we judge it necessary. Interim Reviews have only taken place in the past when there has been a change to a council area boundary which coincides with a constituency boundary.

The process that we follow is largely defined by the law. The process can be summarised as:

  • we develop Provisional Proposals;
  • we publish our proposals for 1 month of public consultation;
  • we consider all responses received during the consultation, hold local inquiries and produce Revised Recommendations as necessary; 
  • we publish any Revised Recommendations for 1 month of public consultation;
  • we consider any further responses received during the consultation and produce Further Recommendations as necessary;
  • we publish any Further Recommendations for public consultation; and
  • we submit our report to the Secretary of State for Scotland.

As part of a review we produce a booklet explaining the process, which is available from us or from this website.

A local inquiry is held depending on the comments received during a consultation. The law requires that, if a large number of objections are received, or if a local authority objects, then a local inquiry must be held. 
We can also decide that there should be a local inquiry even if those criteria are not met. We arrange for a Sheriff Principal to chair any local inquiry and report on it.

The electorate of each constituency has to be as near the average as is practicable.

The other rules include avoiding excessive disparities between neighbouring constituencies, taking account of local authority boundaries, of special geographical considerations, and of inconveniences and any local ties which would be broken by changes to constituencies.

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