Local Liberal Democrats in plea to retain Rutherglen seat

The ancient communities of Cambuslang and Rutherglen should be retained intact in the same Parliamentary seat. This is the strong plea made by Rutherglen Constituency Liberal Democrats in written representations to the Boundary Commission for Scotland. These follow the oral representations made by former MSP Robert Brown on behalf of the Liberal Democrats to the Hearing in New Lanark in November.

The Boundary Commission has proposed to join Rutherglen and Cambuslang West into the proposed seat of East Kilbride and Rutherglen whilst transferring Cambuslang East into a new Hamilton seat.

Robert Brown, local Liberal Democrat spokesman, said: “Rutherglen and Cambuslang have long been regarded as strong local communities with a high degree of common interest who have always marched together in Parliamentary, Council and community terms.

We regard the proposal to split Rutherglen and Cambuslang in this way as quite ludicrous. Even on the map, it creates a curious banana-shaped seat with no community identity. Wrenching Cambuslang East out of the Parliamentary seat creates all sorts of problems and defies common sense.

There is a perfectly reasonable alternative which would keep Rutherglen and Cambuslang in one seat and unite them with Blantyre and Bothwell and Uddingston. This was the Boundary Commission’s Option A which was rejected by them in their Initial Proposals in a decision which they themselves said was “finely balanced”. Even the very fact that this was Option A while the recommendations were Option B suggests the officials expected Rutherglen and Cambuslang to be kept in one seat together - with Option A adopted.

It is time for the Commission to think again. Rutherglen and Cambuslang have been part of the same Parliamentary seat since 1918 and have long been associated together at Council level. Many local organisations and most Council and other public services are organised on the basis of treating the two communities together. The Commission’s proposals even split Cambuslang Main Street down the middle which makes the proposal particularly unhelpful.

The proposal for a Rutherglen and Hamilton North seat meets the Commission’s objectives in all ways and is even a better fit on the numbers”

The time for written representations closed on 4th January and the Commission will now consider the written and oral representations they have received before publishing revised proposals later in 2012.