A LOCAL referendum should be held to give the public a chance to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to Galloway being designated as Scotland’s next national park.
A group of councillors are arguing that the people who live in Galloway should be heard on the important issue.
At the full council meeting on Thursday, Dee and Glenkens Councillor Dougie Campbell, of the Democratic Alliance Group, will table a motion calling on the Scottish Government to hold a local referendum on the Galloway National Park proposal.
He said: “The bedrock of democracy is people having a meaningful say on their own future.
“The proposal that Galloway is designated as Scotland’s next national park could have significant ramifications for generations to come.
“The ongoing consultation is dividing our communities in a way I have never seen before, and people feel disempowered.
“That’s why it’s important the Scottish Government stands by its very own values of supporting rural communities, community empowerment, local decision making. There can be no better way to demonstrate this by holding a local referendum.”
Castle Douglas and Crocketford Councillor Iain Howie added: “Whether rightly or wrongly, it has to be accepted that a large percentage of the community fear that their views on the issue will not be adequately articulated by Nature Scot’s consultation process.
“As such, the best way of allaying these fears would be to hold a local referendum and that is why we as a group support this motion.”
And Councillor Willie Scobie, representing Stranraer and the Rhins ward, added: “On such a huge issue, it is only fair to give the people the right to vote. The Democratic Alliance Group is right in calling for a referendum on the matter so everyone can have their say.”
However, it looks unlikely that the Scottish Government will approve the request as Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon last week rejected the idea.
Also responding to the motion, a spokesman for the Galloway National Park Association said: “A referendum would cost a large amount of taxpayers’ money at the very moment when the Scottish Budget has made clear it is going to be very tough to fund public services.
“As the proposed area of the Park includes South and East Ayrshire as well as Galloway, then the two councils covering those areas would have to agree to their populations being balloted. If that did not happen it would mean many supporters of a National Park were disenfranchised.
“If the Scottish Government were to change its position on this we would obviously seek to be at the heart of discussions on how a referendum would be conducted.”
