Stevenson Hails Return of Banffshire to Electoral Map

Banff & Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson has expressed his delight at the change of heart by the Boundary Commission for Scotland who have changed the name for the proposed new Scottish Parliament constituency covering the North-east coast to “Banffshire & Buchan Coast”.

Mr Stevenson campaigned hard to have the name Banffshire included in the name of the proposed new constituency instead of simply ‘Buchan Coast’ as most of the area was made up of parts of Banffshire. The SNP MSP gave evidence at the Boundary Commission’s Local Inquiry held in Buckie last November.

Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:

“I am delighted that the Boundary Commission have listened to the submissions which I and others made, most recently in November, at the Local Inquiry held in Buckie last November.

“The Banffshire name is still very much in active use and indeed signs have recently been erected welcoming people to the Banffshire area. It still appears on Whisky produced in the area, in our local papers and we all use it in day to day life.

“I made these points to the Boundary Commission during their consultation for the last set of proposals and I am delighted by the news that they have taken heed of local feelings and have proposed to name the new constituency Banffshire & Buchan Coast”.

Banffshire native and SNP Westminster candidate for Banff & Buchan Eilidh Whiteford added:

“This is excellent news indeed and is a welcome boost to the Banffshire identity coming so soon after Moray and Aberdeenshire Councils decided to recognise local feeling by erecting signs along some of the main routes into the County advising people they were now in Banffshire.

“Stewart Stevenson has been very active on this issue and it’s good to see that his work and that of the other community groups and individuals who so enthusiastically took up the fight has paid off. It is a victory for the power of local opinion.”