SMITH AND CAMPBELL URGE BOUNDARY COMMISSION TO RETHINK

4.51.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 19th Jun 2009

North East Fife parliamentarians Iain Smith MSP and Sir Menzies Campbell MP have written to the Boundary Commission for Scotland to urge that the Commission acts in accordance with the wishes local people and not follow through with its proposal to move Lundin Links and Upper and Lower Largo from the North East Fife Scottish Parliamentary constituency into the new Mid Fife and Glenrothes constituency.

Mr Smith said: "People in Lundin Links and in Largo feel strongly that they are part of the East Neuk and North East Fife. If anybody needs evidence of this then it can be found in over 250 responses to a postal survey I carried out in the area and the many individual representations I have received.

"The Boundary Commission must ensure that the wishes of the public are listened to."

Sir Menzies Campbell said: "the link between Lundin Links and Largo and North East Fife is very strong and well established. The area is an integral part of the East Neuk.

"Local people will have no confidence whatsoever in the Boundary Commission if this proposal is not reversed."

Iain Smith and Sir Menzies Campbell urged local residents to ensure that they make their views known to the Boundary Commission for Scotland by the deadline on Monday.

The full text of the letter to the Boundary Commission for Scotland is:

Dr Hugh Buchanan

The Secretary

Boundary Commission for Scotland

3 Drumsheugh Gardens

Edinburgh

EH3 7QJ

18 June 2009

Dear Dr Buchanan,

PROPOSAL TO REMOVE LUNDIN LINKS AND LARGO FROM NORTH EAST FIFE CONSTITUENCY

We are writing to express our deep disappointment at the Commission's proposal to remove the traditionally North East Fife communities of Lundin Links and Upper and Lower Largo from the current North East Fife Scottish Parliamentary constituency and place them into a new Mid Fife and Glenrothes constituency.

There is no doubt that the strength of local feeling against this proposal is overwhelming and it is clear that residents of Largo & Lundin Links consider that they have strong local ties to the East Neuk and North East Fife.

As you know, this was confirmed by Sheriff Principal R A Dunlop QC in his report on the local inquiry into the boundary proposals last September, who said "in my judgement this inquiry has thrown up as strong an example of such local ties as one is likely to find". He further noted that he thought the "local ties which would be broken by the provisional recommendations are as strong as one is likely to encounter and there is undoubtedly substantial public opposition to them".

A written request to Lord Woolman, Deputy Chairman of the Boundary Commission, to urge publication of the reasons why the Boundary Commission reached its conclusion to reject local representations on its draft proposals has been ignored. We are baffled as to how the people of Largo & Lundin Links are meant to make representations against the decision to move them out of North East Fife if they do not know the reasons why their previous representations have been rejected.

There is a feeling in the local community that, despite the huge campaign at the time and the continuing opposition to the proposal, the Boundary Commission has ridden roughshod over the will of the people. This is confirmed by over 250 responses to a postal survey carried out by us in Largo and Lundin Links and the many individual representations we have received. The wishes of the public about where they wish to be represented must count for something.

With regard to the arguments surrounding the size of electorate for the newly proposed constituencies of North East Fife and Mid Fife and Glenrothes, the retention of the 2250 electors in Lundin Links and Largo would result in both of these constituencies falling well within the range of electorates already considered acceptable by the Commission elsewhere in Scotland (notably Linlithgow as the largest at 62,810 and Renfrewshire North and West as the smallest at 48,520 - with exception of the island constituencies).

We therefore urge that given the massive local opposition to the proposal and the fact that the status quo would still be within the Commission's acceptable range, the Boundary Commission should revoke the proposal to remove these traditionally North East Fife communities from the current constituency.

Yours sincerely,

Iain Smith MSP Sir Menzies Campbell MP

Member of the Scottish Parliament for Member of Parliament for North East Fife

North East Fife