Scottish independence: Corby, England’s “little Scotland”, to hold mock referendum
The English town of Corby, Northamptonshire, is holding a mock Scottish independence referendum today as part of the town's Highland Gathering, an annual event featuring Scottish music and dancing.
Corby is the English town with the highest percentage of citizens born in Scotland at 12.7 per cent. It also has the second-highest total number of people born north of the border.
All people attending the Highland Gathering will be offered a chance to vote in a possible indication of how the real voting may go on 18 September.
According to the BBC, organiser and Labour councillor Mark Pengelly said the vote was only a "bit of fun" however, but the relatively large proportion of Scots in Corby make it an interesting experiment.
The graph shows the five places in England with the highest total numbers of Scotland-born residents, and then what percentage of the population they make up.
The vote comes after the town of Corby's campaign for the right to vote in the Scottish elections. The borough council has been pushing for inclusion in the vote due to Corby's high number of Scottish residents.
Pengelly told BBC he hoped the vote would give Corby's Scots a voice.
Current rules state that only those people permanently residing in Scotland can vote in the real referendum.