It may feel as if the last Scottish Parliament election just passed a short time ago but preparations have already begun for the next in 2026. Ahead of that Scottish Parliament election, Boundaries Scotland is undertaking a review of all Scottish Parliament boundaries.

Under the current proposals, my current constituency, Midlothian North and Musselburgh, will see some significant changes, with areas such as Bonnyrigg and Loanhead moving to the Midlothian South constituency while gaining areas such as Portobello and Prestonpans. There are no proposals to change the name at this stage.

I agree that it is important that constituency boundaries are kept under review. The last boundary review took place in 2011, the year I also became constituency MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh. Midlothian and East Lothian have seen a huge growth in population since then and a review is required to ensure that similar electorate sizes are maintained throughout each constituency.

Whilst I must stress that these are just provisional proposals at this stage, which will not impact the constituency in its current form until 2026 or any other matters, such as your local authority or council tax, the shift in the boundary creates a whole new dynamic for the future Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency. I will consider this carefully and listen to any feedback my constituents have on these proposals.

Boundaries Scotland is running a consultation on these proposals until June 17. I will be writing my own response but I would strongly encourage my constituents to do so, too. You can find the current proposals and the consultation at shorturl.at/chzSY

In other news, I am pleased to see the start of the annual festivals and galas around my constituency, kicked off at the weekend by the Fisherrow Harbour Festival – a huge well done to all who participated and organised the event. I hope we see more sunshine than showers and can all enjoy our community events!