BISHOPTON to Millport and Erskine to Dalry.
These are the type of distances MPs would have to travel, and the vastly different communities they would be required to represent, if latest proposals for a shake-up of political boundaries are given the green light.
The Gazette revealed last year the Boundary Commission for Scotland was planning to carve up Renfrewshire’s two current consistencies, Paisley and Renfrewshire North and Paisley and Renfrewshire South, into three new areas of Inverclyde and Erskine, Renfrewshire West and a new Paisley constituency, in a bid to reduce the number of MPs in Scotland from 59 to 53 and make the size of constituencies, in terms of population, more even.
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Renfrewshire West would have seen Johnstone go into the same constituency as Largs, while Houston and Bridge of Weir, two closely-linked villages, would have been torn apart.
The proposals were put out to consultation, and since then, things have changed again in the final recommendations.
It is now being proposed Johnstone and Linwood would be in the same consistency as large parts of East Renfrewshire, as well as parts of North Ayrshire.
Erskine and Inchinnan would form part of this area too, meaning MPs would be be attempting to represent communities more than 20 miles apart.
Meanwhile, Bishopton and Langbank would be separated from the rest of Renfrewshire and put into a Clyde Coast constituency, which includes Largs and Millport as well as the whole of Inverclyde. The MP covering this area would have to travel more than 30 miles and incorporate a ferry ride if they were going to truly represent the whole area.
Lastly, a new Paisley constituency is still being pitched, but now differs slightly from previous plans. The most surprising element is Elderslie would be separated from its close neighbour Johnstone and put into this area with Paisley and Renfrew.
‘Crazy’, ‘nonsensical’ and ‘undermining democracy’ are some of the things politicians past and present have been saying about the ideas.
Gavin Newlands, current MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, slammed the proposals, which would see his constituency split up into three.
He said: “I am hugely disappointed to see the carve up of Renfrewshire presented by the Boundary Commission.
“The likes of Inchinnan and Erskine being in a constituency with Dalry and Barrhead or Bishopton and Langbank being aligned with Millport make no sense whatsoever.
“Renfrew being subsumed into a wholly new ‘Paisley Burgh’ constituency may make some sense, but they’re a long way off in naming it.
“These proposals are nothing but gerrymandering of the highest degree by a Tory Government intent on undermining the democratic structure of the UK.”
The map above lays out how both Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire would be split, while also outlining the traditional county of Renfrewshire, something the Boundary Commission allegedly had to consider when drawing up the proposals.
Councillor Andy Doig, who represents Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch, said the final recommendations made more sense than previous plans, but still have issues.
He said: “Gavin Newlands’ constituency has been carved up like a Christmas turkey.
“I think the Renfrewshire West and Garnock Valley constituency makes some sense, due to economic ties parts of South Renfrewshire have with North Ayrshire.
“What I don’t really understand is Elderslie being taken into Paisley. I know the Boundary Commission have got to make constituencies more even, but there must be a better way to do it than this. I would suggest putting Erskine and Inchinnan in the Paisley constituency and putting Elderslie in with Renfrewshire West and Garnock Valley.
“What I do worry about is MPs being able to do their job properly.”
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Lord Matthews, deputy chair of the Boundary Commission for Scotland, said: “We listened carefully to comments made on our revised proposals and made a number of changes to boundaries and constituency names.
“We believe our final recommendations meet the requirements of the legislation governing the review and, within those constraints, fairly reflect the views expressed to us during our consultations.”
Where will my town be? The lowdown on the proposals
IF the final recommendations from the Boundary Commission are approved, there will be three MPs representing different parts of Renfrewshire as opposed to the current two.
The MPs would represent constituencies called Clyde Coast, Renfrewshire West and Garnock Valley, and Paisley.
And we’ve made it simple to find out where your town will sit and which towns will be voting for the same MP as you.The breakdown is as follows:
Renfrewshire West and Garnock Valley: Erskine, Inchinnan, Bridge of Weir, Houston, Kilmacolm, Johnstone, Kilbarchan, Howwood, Brookfield, Lochwinnoch, Beith, Kilburnie, Glengarnock, Dalry, Barrhead, Neilston and Uplawmoor.
Paisley: Renfrew, Hillington, Paisley and Elderslie
Clyde Coast: Bishopton, Langbank, Port Glasgow, Greenock, Gourock, Weymss Bay, Skelmorlie, Largs and Millport.
Legislation rules new constituencies must not be larger than 13,000 sq km, and be within five per cent of the UK electoral quota of 74,769.
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