Ministers confirmed today they would accept some of the independent Local Government Boundary Commission’s suggestions for changing wards, but reject others.
No explanation has been given by the SNP for the move, which is likely to cause upset in various areas of the country.
It confirmed that changes for five local authorities would be rejected, with the other 27 recommendations approved.
In previous reviews, all boundaries changed and LGBC recommendations were almost entirely accepted.
The Scottish Conservatives said that, irrespective of whether political parties welcomed or opposed the new boundaries, the process for the decision was dubious.
Scottish Conservative local government spokesman Graham Simpson said:
“The SNP must come clean – why have some councils had their proposals enacted and others not?
“Voters and councillors will rightly ask why the SNP is cherry-picking boundaries in this way.
“Not only has the SNP dragged its feet on boundary changes, but now we have an unprecedented intervention from ministers.
“It’s irrelevant whether political parties support these changes or not – the Scottish Government likes to think of itself as transparent and honest, which is why it must explain in detail the rationale behind these decisions.”