New appointment to the Boundary Commission for Scotland

The Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, today announced the appointment of Dr Susan Walker OBE as a member of the Boundary Commission for Scotland. The appointment will commence in January 2021 for a period of four years.

Dr Walker, who has been a member of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland since 2013, will replace Paula Sharp, who has served her maximum term.

Since 2015, Dr Walker has been a board member of Food Standards Scotland, and a member of the Water Industry Customer Forum since 2011.

Dr Walker studied Geography at the University of Durham, then a PhD in Water Resources Management at the University of Manchester.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

It’s great news Dr Susan Walker OBE has accepted the post as a member of the Boundary Commission for Scotland.

Dr Walker brings vast experience and invaluable specialist knowledge, particularly from her background as a member of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, which is responsible for reviewing constituencies and regions for the Scottish Parliament. She will be an important part of the team and no doubt will make a positive impact and add significant strength to the work of the Commission.

I thank Paula Sharp who will leave her post at the end of the year after serving for ten years.

The Boundary Commission for Scotland is an advisory non-departmental public body wholly funded by the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland. It is independent and non-political, constituted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, and in Schedule 1 to the Scotland Act 1998.

The Commission is responsible for reviews of constituencies in Scotland for the Westminster Parliament. It is required by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 (as amended) to review UK Parliament constituencies every five years. The reviews ensure that each constituency has roughly the same number of electors. The next review will be in 2023.