Published: Wednesday, 17th June, 2009 6:06pm
Town's last chance for boundary say
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EmailBARRHEAD residents have just four days to appeal plans to move the town"s parliamentary boundary out of East Renfrewshire and into neighbouring Renfrewshire.
Last year, more than 250 people wrote to the Boundary Commission to express their concerns while 8,000 people signed a petition against the move. East Renfrewshire Council has also launched an appeal against the controversial decision.
Yet, despite the opposition the commission say they will STILL move Barrhead in with Renfrewshire in a move which could see MSP Ken MacIntosh lose his right to represent Barrhead, Neilston and Uplawmoor.
Ken said: 'I think this decision is disgraceful and disappointing and will be of no benefit to anyone in East Renfrewshire.
'To break up the boundaries of East Renfrewshire in this way is contrary to everything we have been trying to do over the last 20 years.
'This is very damaging and I think the people of Barrhead, Neilston and Uplawmoor will be very disappointed and it could create divisions and set one half against the other.
'What it means is that the MSP will also represent Johnstone, Linwood and vast parts of Renfrewshire. That puts a question mark over investment and funding.'
Now there are fears that this may be the first step in removing Barrhead from the local authority and lumping the town with Renfrewshire.
A spokesman for East Renfrewshire Council said: 'The council"s response to the boundary commission is that the areas in question should stay within the boundaries of East Renfrewshire.
'The council will now debate this issue in detail and issue its official statement at the end of June.'
Barrhead Councillor Danny Devlin believes that the decision will not benefit the town.
He said 'I have yet to meet anyone from the town who thinks it is a good idea to remove Barrhead from East Renfrewshire Scottish parliamentary boundary.
'Local residents successfully campaigned for a public inquiry but now all their hard efforts has been thrown back in their faces.'
But Councillor Douglas Yates says he can understand why the commission made the decision. He said:
'From an SNP perspective it is quite positive but from a personal perspective I would have liked it to stay the same.'
The commission has confirmed its plans to place Barrhead with Johnstone, Renfrew and Paisley.
