TOWNS such as Ayr, East Kilbride and Dunfermline should not have been sacrificed to tough new rules on Westminster parliamentary boundaries, according to the Electoral Reform Society in Scotland.

The society, citing claims in England that reforms there are “mad and insane”, has praised the efforts of the Boundaries Commission in Scotland but said they faced a “thankless task” as a result of the rigid nature of the system.

Willie Sullivan, director of the Electoral Reform Society Scotland, is now calling on the Government to reassess the tight variance of 5% imposed between constituency sizes – which has meant 16 Westminster seats will cross council boundaries, breaking up traditional communities such as Dunfermline, Ayr and East Kilbride.

Mr Sullivan said: “If Scotland’s new boundaries seem as ‘mad and insane’ as England’s, then responsibility must lie with the British Government. The Boundary Commission for Scotland was given a thankless task. This rigid ‘one size fits all’ approach was never going to fit Scotland – its cold vision of equality flies in the face of real communities, simple geography and common sense.”

Seven of Scotland’s 59 Westminster constituency seats are poised to be axed by the Boundary Commission to comply with rules set out by Parliament. All 50 mainland constituencies must have electorates within 5% of the UK average – between 72,810 and 80,473 and they are also required to be no larger than 13,000 sq km.

Mr Sullivan said: “The rule about keeping constituencies within 5% of difference in size was too strict. When the Bill was going through the LibDems wanted to make it 10% but the Tories wouldn’t wear it.

“If you look at other countries there is a reasonable amount of variation for reasons of geography, local history and so on, but this has not been allowed here. It is totally wrong and extremely rigid to cut over so many local authority boundaries as they have.

“Dunfermline and Alloa have never been in administration together, and the same goes for other areas such as Ayr and East Kilbride. There should have been a wider allowance of at least 7% to 8% but the Tories resisted this.”