Gunn says closure could lead to incest
A SELKIRK councillor’s plea for the registration of births and deaths and the posting of marriage banns to be maintained in every Borders burgh fell on deaf ears at last week’s meeting of Scottish Borders Council, writes Mark Entwistle.
The call came from Selkirkshire councillor Kenneth Gunn, who was one of only two councillors who voted last February against the closure of the registry office in his home town of Selkirk.
With training on how to handle local birth registrations for contact centre staff in Selkirk having just started, births from families in the towns must currently be registered in Galashiels and Hawick.
At last week’s SBC meeting, Mr Gunn moved a motion decrying the lack of what he called a proper registrars service across the Borders and called for the reintroduction of such services in all locations – including noticeboards for the displaying of marriage banns – until properly trained staff were in place in all the region’s contact services.
“At a time when the Home Office of the UK Government has no idea how many legal or illegal immigrants are in this country from Europe and beyond, surely this is not the time to be cutting back so severely on a service which has been around since medieval times,” he told fellow councillors.
Mr Gunn said the ‘Proclamation of banns’ was not merely a ritual handed down from the Dark Ages, but a necessary and vital part of the census services and ensured marriages were right and proper.
“In these days of broken marriages and extended families, surely it is even more important,” he said. “I am aware in my own ward of brothers sitting beside sisters they do not know in primary school.
“These youngsters will move on to secondary school, maybe still ignorant of their own relations, and it isn’t going to be too long before we have a union which could produce offspring if we do not play by the well-founded rules.”
Giving examples, Mr Gunn went on to say it was no use posting banns in Peebles for a couple marrying in Selkirk.
“Who would know them or even care whether they married legally or not?” he continued.
“No, this is something which must not be allowed to continue. We must keep these services local.”
However, Mr Gunn’s motion, which was seconded by Councillor Jim Brown (Jedburgh & District SNP), was rejected by 18-5 votes.
z No local banns have been read or displayed since 2006 in Selkirk. However, the lists of intended marriages or civil partnerships – banns – are displayed in Hawick, Galashiels and Peebles, and members of the public can request to see a copy of the list in any registrar’s office.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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