Holyrood seats could increase as Scotland's constituency boundaries under review amid 'change to electorate'

Scottish parliament constituencies could be altered in the near future due to a "significant change to the electorate".

The review, carried out by Boundaries Scotland, is only the second review of seats since Holyrood's inception in 1999. The commission is recommending changes for 26 constituencies, around two thirds of seats in Scotland, in its latest report including boundary changes and name alterations.

However, 21 constituencies are proposed to remain unchanged. This includes the three island constituencies of the Orkney Islands, the Western Isles and the Shetland Islands, all of which have legal protection from any changes.

The commission's proposals were made as it took into account a "significant change to the electorate". This includes 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds being able to vote in Scottish election since 2014 as well as population growths and decreases.

A report by Boundaries Scotland said: “Changes to the population and the electorate have varied across Scotland, with some areas experiencing significant increases and others remaining relatively unchanged or falling. Even areas which have not experienced population growth or reduction may find that the constituency boundaries alter as a result of change required elsewhere to ensure that all constituencies and regions are of a similar electoral size.”

Boundaries Scotland chair Ronnie Hinds said that the recommendations are a “necessary re-balancing to reflect the movements of the electorate in Scotland”. He added that the review is only the "beginning of the process" and urged constituents to contribute their views to the report.

He said: “We have reduced the variation in electorate between the largest and smallest constituencies by over a third and increased the number of constituencies sitting within a single council area from 51 to 59.

“Today is the beginning of a process however and we now want to hear the views of the public. We will reflect on responses to the consultation and make changes where appropriate and where the legislation allows us to do so.

“We strongly encourage people to make their views heard. We particularly want to hear suggestions for alternative boundaries that comply with the legislative requirements and for constituency names.”

Boundaries Scotland are set to make their full recommendations to the Scottish Parliament by 2025. This means that new constituencies could be introduced by the next Scottish election in 2026.