Local politicians are running a petition to keep Leith in the Scottish Parliamentary constituency name and invite locals to sign it.
But Ben Macpherson MSP and Deidre Brock MP have also called out for locals to tell Boundaries Scotland what they think before the consultation ends on Wednesday. This will support the campaign to have the Scottish boundary commission revise their plans on changing the name by removing Leith from the name.
Boundaries Scotland have a proposal to split the constituency of Edinburgh Northern and Leith which Mr Macpherson represents and replace it with two: Edinburgh North Eastern and Edinburgh Northern.
Ms Brock said: “It’s a daft suggestion to take Leith away from the name of this constituency. Previous attempts to wipe ‘Leith’ from the electoral map have never gone down well so I hope Boundaries Scotland will rethink this decision too – but the more folk that let them know the better.
“Keeping the name Leith is not just symbolic; it represents our shared history, our heritage and our community’s unique identity. Leith was an independent burgh until 1920 and retains its own distinct sense of place. As a historic docklands, Leith has always welcomed people from all corners of the globe and we are rightly proud of being part of this diverse community.
“I’ve put in my objection and I encourage others to do the same.”
Ben Macpherson said: “Boundaries Scotland’s current proposals would split my current Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency across two new constituencies – Edinburgh Northern and Edinburgh North Eastern, from 2026.
“Leith’s distinct identity, culture and community is not only historically important but continues to matter today. I believe that dropping ‘Leith’ in the constituency description is a mistake, and it should be added back into the name for the constituency that would include Leith – so something like Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith.
“I urge Leithers to share their views regarding these changes by responding to the consultation, which closes on 15 May.”
https://consult.boundaries.scot/reviews/sp_constituencies_revised_proposals
https://www.change.org/p/support-snp-campaign-to-save-leith-in-the-scottish-parliament
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