Jamie Stone says constituency 'is going to grow massively' as he opens Wick office
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
The imminent expansion of the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross seat at Westminster has prompted Jamie Stone to open a constituency office in Wick.
The Liberal Democrat MP already has an office in Tain and hopes the Wick one will ensure he and his team are as accessible as possible for constituents across the far north.
The new office had its official opening on Friday when a ribbon-cutting was performed by Jan McEwan, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Wick and East Caithness and provost of Wick. It is located in the NorCAD Design building on the corner of Miller Avenue and George Street.
"It's with great pleasure that I officially open the Lib Dem office in Wick, which will be a great help to constituents in the run-up to the next general election," Councillor McEwan said. "I want everyone to support the Lib Dems and vote for Jamie Stone as MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross."
The Highlands will lose one MP under the latest review by the Boundary Commission for Scotland. Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross will become the UK's biggest constituency geographically, followed by Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire.
At 11,798 square kilometres, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross will be almost exactly the same size as Cyprus and Luxembourg combined (11,799 sq km, according to European Union statistics).
At present the UK's largest constituency is Ross, Skye and Lochaber, represented by Ian Blackford of the SNP. Mr Blackford, who is to stand down at the next general election, has two constituency offices – in Dingwall and Fort William.
Mr Stone, a former councillor and MSP, was elected to the Westminster constituency in 2017 and retained the seat in 2019.
He said on Friday: "At the moment this constituency is the second biggest in the UK, and it's quite a stretch – I'm trying to cover from Durness down to the outskirts of Wick, from John O'Groats down to the border with Wester Ross.
"I actually think that constituents have a right to see their elected representative and have easy access – and if they can't see that person, then to see somebody who is part of the team.
"The point is the constituency is going to grow massively. It's taking in the Black Isle, it's taking in the rest of Easter Ross and it's taking in Kiltarlity in Inverness-shire. It's going to be the biggest in the history of the UK."
In order to open a second constituency office, Mr Stone had to apply for contingency funding through the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the body that regulates and administers MPs' business costs.
"The danger would be, with moving big in the south, that it would be very easy to take your eye off the ball in the north, so we'll definitely have a footprint in Wick and from the Tain office it's not too far to go to Beauly, and we've got almost half of Wester Ross as well," Mr Stone said.
"That's the reasoning behind it – to try and give the coverage."
Issues raised frequently by Mr Stone's constituents include the cost of living – with concerns over Ovo Energy bills having become a common theme – as well as healthcare, notably waiting times for appointments.
"There's something wrong with Ovo bills," he said. "People are being told they owe money when they don't.
"We're getting people worrying about heating their homes, old folk who are on the state pension – how are they going to cope?
"Then of course there are medical issues, with waiting times increasing. People have appointments at Raigmore, which is a long way from north-west Sutherland or the top of Caithness, and too often they get there and hear their appointment has been cancelled.
"And you hear horror stories from people who can't necessarily afford to stay in Inverness overnight – it's quite expensive."
Councillor McEwan added: "It's important to let people know that the Lib Dems care about Caithness and are going to stand up and fight for it."
The office staff in Wick are constituency support manager Audrey John and case officer Julie Calder.
The phone number is 07721 333946 and the email address is jamie.stone.mp@parliament.uk
The office is open from 11am to 2pm on weekdays by appointment, with a booking system in place to ensure client confidentiality.
