Highland Council formally rejects 'undemocratic' Boundary Commission’s proposals
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The leader of Highland Council has formally written to the Local Government Boundary Commission on its proposals for councillor numbers and ward boundaries in the Highland Council area.
Councillor Margaret Davidson advised the Boundary Commission that the council rejected the commission’s proposals in their entirety and formally requested that they halt this process immediately and review the whole issue of remote and rural area boundaries and councillor numbers in consultation with the Highland Council and other local authorities which have mainland councils with inhabited islands.
Under the proposals, there would be 72 councillors in the Highlands and 20 wards, which would be a loss of two councillors and one ward. There would be two 2-member wards, seven 3-member wards, eight 4-member wards and three 5-member wards.
In Caithness, there would be a total of seven councillors – down by one – three representing the landward area and two each in Thurso and Wick. Sutherland would have just four councillors.
That led to significant concerns that councillors would have to represent unmanageably large populations or geographic areas.
Cllr Davidson said: “The council is deeply unhappy with the commission’s proposals. They totally contradict the ethos of the Island (Scotland) Act, which was to enhance the democratic process and increase representation of remote and geographically disadvantaged areas.
"Much of our mainland areas are more remote and have far fewer transport links than many of the islands who have quicker and more reliable links to Scotland’s major cities. The parity level for the islands is one to 800 electorate. In Highland the parity level is a staggering one councillor to 2800 electorate.
“There is simply no justification to subject our remote and fragile communities to an undemocratic and unwanted boundary review on the back of the Islands Act – particularly in the middle of a national pandemic. If our mainland ward structures are being altered then it should be the case that the whole of Scotland’s local authorities must also be looked at. If not, it appears clear that Highland is being unilaterally singled out for a reduction in the number of councillors and that is wholly unacceptable. We are receiving a remarkable degree of support from our community councils and individuals across Highland.”
She added: “The commission’s approach to determining fair representation for geographically sparsely populated areas is profoundly unfair, contradictory and undemocratic and should be subject of a fundamental review. We have approached out local MSPs and government ministers with responsibility for the Boundary Commission to register Highland’s concerns."
