Boundary Commission for Scotland BCS Paper 2016/23 2018 Review of UK Parliament Constituencies Constituency considerations for South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway council areas Action required 1. The Commission is invited to consider alternative designs of constituencies for South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway council areas in furtherance of its 2018 Review of UK Parliament constituencies. Background 2. On 24 February 2016, the Commission began its 2018 Review of UK Parliament constituencies with a view to making its recommendations by October 2018 in tandem with the other UK parliamentary boundary commissions. 3. The review is being undertaken in compliance with the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, as amended. The Act stipulates a UK electoral quota of 74,769.2 electors and use of the parliamentary electorate figures from the December 2015 Electoral Register. The 5% electorate limits in the Act correspond to an electorate of no less than 71,031 and no more than 78,507. 4. The Act requires the Commission to recommend the name, extent and designation of constituencies in Scotland, of which there are to be 53 in total. 2 Scottish constituencies are prescribed in the Act: Orkney and Shetland Islands constituency and Western Isles constituency. 5. The Act provides some discretion in the extent of the Commission’s regard to the size, shape and accessibility of constituencies, existing constituencies and the breaking of local ties. As this review is considered to be the first following enactment of the legislation (the 6th Review was ended before completion in 2013 following enactment of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013) the Commission need not have regard to the inconveniences attendant on changes to constituencies. 6. At its meeting of 19 May 2016, the Commission adopted groupings of council areas as part of its approach to constituency design for the 2018 Review, which included a group comprising South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway council areas. This paper offers some options for constituencies within that group. 7. The 2015 parliamentary electorates of the council areas in this group are as shown in Table 1 below: Council area Parliamentary Constituency electorate entitlement North Lanarkshire 249,925 3.34 South Lanarkshire 243,743 3.26 Dumfries and Galloway 113,303 1.52 Total 606,971 8.12 Table 1: 2015 parliamentary electorates of council areas in the group. 8. The existing constituencies in the group and their 2015 parliamentary electorates are as shown in Table 2 below: Document name 1 BCS2016_23_(Constituency_Design_North_Lan_South_Lan_D_and_G) Boundary Commission for Scotland BCS Paper 2016/23 constituency Electorate Airdrie and Shotts 63,552 Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill 70,068 Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East* 65,097 Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale* 65,739 East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow 79,311 Lanark and Hamilton East 75,761 Motherwell and Wishaw 67,612 Rutherglen and Hamilton West 78,671 Dumfries and Galloway 72,327 Table 2: 2015 parliamentary electorates of existing constituencies in the group (* constituencies overlapping into neighbouring council areas). 9. A map of existing constituencies and council areas in the group can be found at Appendix A. 10. There are two existing constituencies within the electoral quota: Dumfries and Galloway and Lanark and Hamilton East. 11. The constituency names in this paper are provisional. The Commission will have the opportunity to review all constituency names and designations prior to the publication of its Initial Proposals. Options 12. Four options have been designed to create constituencies each covering no more than two council areas. 13. Options 1 and 2 comprise: 1 constituency wholly contained within Dumfries and Galloway council area; 1 constituency combining parts of Dumfries and Galloway and South Lanarkshire council areas; 2 constituencies wholly contained within South Lanarkshire council area; 1 constituency combining parts of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire council areas; and 3 constituencies wholly contained within North Lanarkshire council area. 14. Option 3 comprises: 1 constituency wholly contained within Dumfries and Galloway council area; 1 constituency combining parts of Dumfries and Galloway and South Lanarkshire council areas; 2 constituencies wholly contained within South Lanarkshire council area; 2 constituencies combining parts of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire council areas; and 2 constituencies wholly contained within North Lanarkshire council area. 15. Option 4 comprises: 1 constituency wholly contained within Dumfries and Galloway council area; 1 constituency combining parts of Dumfries and Galloway and South Lanarkshire council areas; 3 constituencies wholly contained within South Lanarkshire council area; Document name 2 BCS2016_23_(Constituency_Design_North_Lan_South_Lan_D_and_G) Boundary Commission for Scotland BCS Paper 2016/23 1 constituency combining parts of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire council areas; and 2 constituencies wholly contained within North Lanarkshire council area. Option 1 – Appendix B1-B4 16. Option 1 aims to create constituencies that consider some of the existing constituencies within this grouping (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill; East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow; Dumfries and Galloway; and Rutherglen and Hamilton West) where practicable. 17. Option 1 places Galloway with Dumfries and Annan to create a Dumfries and Galloway constituency. The proposed constituency places Dumfries within a single constituency. The proposed constituency boundary by Dumfries follows a community council boundary and splits Dumfries and Galloway ward 9 (Lochar). The existing Dumfries and Galloway constituency splits Dumfries between two wards. 18. Option 1 proposes a Clydesdale and Eskdale constituency that adopts whole wards with the exception of Dumfries and Galloway ward 9 and South Lanarkshire ward 4 (Clydesdale South). 19. Option 1 aims to retain as far as possible within the electoral quota, the existing East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow constituency. Blackwood is transferred from the existing East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow constituency to a Hamilton and Motherwell constituency and splits South Lanarkshire ward 4 by following the existing constituency boundary and partly the M74 motorway. 20. Option 1 aims to retain a Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency. The proposed constituency follows whole wards except for South Lanarkshire ward 19 (Hamilton South) which is split by following the existing constituency boundary. 21. Option 1 proposes a Hamilton and Motherwell constituency with a boundary based on existing constituency and ward boundaries. 22. Option 1 retains the existing constituency boundary between Airdrie and Coatbridge to create three constituencies: Airdrie South and Motherwell North; Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill; and an Airdrie and Cumbernauld constituency. The proposed constituencies also follow existing ward boundaries. 23. The electorate, ward composition and suggested constituency name for Option 1 are shown in the table below: Constituency Electorate Wards Dumfries and Galloway 78,093 Dumfries and Galloway 1-7, 10-11, 9 (part) Clydesdale and Eskdale 75,090 Dumfries and Galloway 8, 12-13, 9 (part). South Lanarkshire 1-3, 4 (part). East Kilbride, Strathaven and 76,833 South Lanarkshire 5-10, 4 (part). Lesmahagow Hamilton and Motherwell 78,281 North Lanarkshire 18, 20. South Lanarkshire 16, 17, 20. 4(part), 19(part). Rutherglen and Hamilton West 76,341 South Lanarkshire 11-15, 18, 19(part). Document name 3 BCS2016_23_(Constituency_Design_North_Lan_South_Lan_D_and_G) Boundary Commission for Scotland BCS Paper 2016/23 Airdrie South and Motherwell 73,109 North Lanarkshire 11, 12, 15-17, 19. North Coatbridge, Chryston and 74,263 North Lanarkshire 5,6,9,10,13,14 Bellshill Airdrie and Cumbernauld 74,961 North Lanarkshire 1-4, 7,8 24. The advantages of Option 1 are: aims to minimise change and design constituencies based on the existing constituencies of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill; East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow; Dumfries and Galloway; and Rutherglen and Hamilton West; aims to design constituencies by following existing ward and constituency boundaries and only splits 3 existing wards boundaries; places Dumfries within a single constituency; and 6 of the 8 proposed constituencies lie within a single council area. 25. The disadvantages of Option 1 are: none of the existing UK Parliament constituencies are preserved; and local ties may be disrupted as Hamilton and Motherwell are included in the same constituency and Airdrie is also split between two constituencies. Option 2 – Appendix C1-C4 26. Option 2 also proposes a Dumfries and Galloway constituency as described in Option 1, that places Dumfries within a single constituency. 27. Option 2 creates an East Kilbride and Strathaven constituency. Lesmahagow is added to a Clydesdale and Eskdale constituency. The proposed boundary by Lesmahagow follows a community council boundary. 28. Option 2 creates a constituency that connects Rutherglen with Bothwell, rather than with Hamilton, while still retaining some ties in the local area. The proposed constituency boundary follows existing ward boundaries and the Cadzow Burn by Hamilton. 29. Option 2 also creates a Hamilton South and Motherwell South constituency that contains Hamilton, partly Motherwell