As we pointed out on the Gurn, the boundaries of Westminster Constituencies are going to be changed again. One of our regular readers sent this in: “I just wonder how many folk in Nairn are aware of the consultation, or the 4 Jan deadline - indeed I'd be curious to know which way local opinion leans on this topic. Would we be better off represented by an MP/MSP for Inverness and Skye? Or would joining up with Moray give us an MP/MSP better-placed to promote/protect Nairn's interests?”
The way things stand at the moment it looks like we will be thrown in with the Inverness and Skye constituency (no mention of Nairn). See the map of proposals here:
It’s also up for debate at Highland Council and one of the options they are considering is that Nairn should go to Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey go to Inverness and Skye.
So the question for us to consider perhaps, is would we be better represented by an MP based in Moray or someone who also had Inverness and Skye to consider? Do we have more in common with Moray than we do with Inverness and Skye?
If any Gurnites have any strong feelings on the matter they can make a submission themselves to the boundary commission. The Gurn is also running a poll in the sidebar on this question.
Prior to 1975, Nairn was linked to Moray for many local authority functions, the biggest one being the Moray and Nairn Joint Education Committee. At the local government reorganisation in 1975 Nairn could have joined up with Moray and Grampian but opted instead for Inverness and Highland. At the 1996 local government reorganisation many Nairn folk want to join with Moray but the powers that be committed Nairn to remain with Highland as a tiny fish in a huge pond. I often think Nairn would be better off politically aligned with Moray as we would be a bigger fish in a smaller pond.
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