Boundary Commission recommends Holyrood seats change

The number of MSPs would stay the same

The Scottish Parliament electoral map is set to change significantly, following a probe on boundary changes.

The Boundary Commission inquiry said several constituencies should be rejigged, to take account of population changes.

The inquiry recommendations, which require introduction by the Scottish secretary, also said the names of many seats should change.

The number of MSPs elected to Holyrood would remain unchanged, at 129.

And the number of constituencies would also stay the same, at 73, with eight regions under which MSPs are elected under the list system.

Scotland's political parties have begun the process of working out who might benefit or lose out from the changes.

Issuing its findings after a long-running inquiry, the commission said the size of constituencies in Scotland's main cities should be reduced, while changes in areas around cities, such as West Lothian and Aberdeenshire, were needed to take account of population increases.

The number of seats in Glasgow would be cut from nine to eight - with the Ballieston constituency going - while Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh would see smaller reductions.

A series of new names for Holyrood seats, which for example would see "Banff and Buchan" become "Banffshire and Buchan Coast", would mean only seven constituencies sharing a name with the relevant Westminster seat, as opposed to 22.

The changes would also better fit with changes to council boundaries, said the commission.

The inquiry's other main recommendations included a move to divide Perth and Kinross into two constituencies, rather than four - three of which crossed into neighbouring council areas.

And the review said the two seats in Dundee should be divided to exactly cover the city council's area.

Scotland's Westminster seats were cut from 72 to 59 for the 2005 UK election, to bring them closer to the size of English constituencies.

Here is the list of proposed new Holyrood seats, listed by region:

CENTRAL SCOTLAND

Airdrie and Shotts; Coatbridge and Chryston; Cumbernauld and Kilsyth; East Kilbride; Falkirk East; Falkirk West; Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse; Motherwell and Wishaw; Uddingston and Bellshill.

GLASGOW

Glasgow Anniesland; Glasgow Cathcart; Glasgow Kelvin; Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn; Glasgow Pollok; Glasgow Provan; Glasgow Shettleston; Glasgow Southside; Rutherglen.

HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS

Argyll and Bute; Caithness, Sutherland and Ross; Inverness and Nairn; Moray; Na h-Eileanan an Iar; Orkney Islands; Shetland Islands; Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

LOTHIAN

Almond Valley; Edinburgh Central; Edinburgh Eastern; Edinburgh Northern and Leith; Edinburgh Pentlands; Edinburgh Southern; Edinburgh Western; Linlithgow; Midlothian North and Musselburgh.

MID SCOTLAND AND FIFE

Clackmannanshire and Dunblane; Cowdenbeath; Dunfermline; Kirkcaldy; Mid Fife and Glenrothes; North East Fife; Perthshire North; Perthshire South and Kinross-shire; Stirling.

NORTH EAST SCOTLAND

Aberdeen Central; Aberdeen Donside; Aberdeen South and North Kincardine; Aberdeenshire East; Aberdeenshire West; Angus North and Mearns; Angus South; Banffshire and Buchan Coast; Dundee City East; Dundee City West.

SOUTH OF SCOTLAND

Ayr; Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley; Clydesdale; Dumfriesshire; East Lothian; Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire; Galloway and West Dumfries; Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley; Midlothian South; Tweeddale and Lauderdale.

WEST OF SCOTLAND

Clydebank and Milngavie; Cunninghame North; Cunninghame South; Dumbarton; Eastwood; Greenock and Inverclyde; Paisley; Renfrewshire North and West; Renfrewshire South; Strathkelvin and Bearsden.