Falkirk councillor warns Scottish Parliament boundary changes will confuse voters
dailyrecord.co.ukA 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. Read more: Worry for parents as Falkirk Council reveal plans to cut school hours 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
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