Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland
Encyclopedia
The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland is an independent body in Scotland
created under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
. According to its own website, it is responsible for: carrying out reviews of boundaries of local authority areas; reviews of electoral arrangements for local authorities; and responding to requests for ad hoc reviews of electoral or administrative arrangements. Its work relates to the local government of Scotland
, and it reports to the Scottish Government. Its counterpart organisations elsewhere in the UK are the Boundary Committee for England
, the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales
and the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner for Northern Ireland.
The Boundary Commission for Scotland is a separate body, concerned with the boundaries of constituencies
in Scotland.
, producing new wards for use in single transferable vote
elections which each return 3 or 4 councillors. These were first used in elections in 2007. The review resulted in a total of 353 wards across Scotland, returning a total of 1222 councillors.
The Commission’s Third Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements reported during 1998 and recommended the electoral arrangements for the unitary local authorities introduced in 1995. The Commission’s Second Review reported between 1992 and 1994, and its Initial Review between 1977 and 1979: both concerned the Region and District local government structure that was then in place.
The 1973 Act gives the Commission powers to conduct wide-ranging reviews of local authority structures in Scotland. However, Ministers have currently directed the Commission to only conduct reviews affecting 300 electors or less.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
created under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
. According to its own website, it is responsible for: carrying out reviews of boundaries of local authority areas; reviews of electoral arrangements for local authorities; and responding to requests for ad hoc reviews of electoral or administrative arrangements. Its work relates to the local government of Scotland
Local government of Scotland
Local government in Scotland is organised through 32 unitary authorities designated as Councils which consist of councillors elected every four years by registered voters in each of the council areas....
, and it reports to the Scottish Government. Its counterpart organisations elsewhere in the UK are the Boundary Committee for England
Boundary Committee for England
The Boundary Committee for England was a statutory committee of the Electoral Commission, an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. The Committee’s aim was to conduct thorough, consultative and robust reviews of local government areas in England, and for its recommendations to be...
, the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales
Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales
The Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales is a Welsh Government sponsored body, responsible for defining borders for local elections in Wales....
and the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner for Northern Ireland.
The Boundary Commission for Scotland is a separate body, concerned with the boundaries of constituencies
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
in Scotland.
Electoral reviews
In 2006, the Commission completed its Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements, as required by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004
The Local Governance Act 2004 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which provided, inter alia, for the election of Councillors to the local authorities in Scotland by the Single Transferable Vote system....
, producing new wards for use in single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
elections which each return 3 or 4 councillors. These were first used in elections in 2007. The review resulted in a total of 353 wards across Scotland, returning a total of 1222 councillors.
The Commission’s Third Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements reported during 1998 and recommended the electoral arrangements for the unitary local authorities introduced in 1995. The Commission’s Second Review reported between 1992 and 1994, and its Initial Review between 1977 and 1979: both concerned the Region and District local government structure that was then in place.
Administrative area reviews
The Commission has conducted a series of reviews of local authority areas to address situations where development has taken place across local authority boundaries, or where local authority areas established by the 1973 Act did not reflect local preferences. In the words of the 1973 Act, the Commission’s recommendations are made "in the interests of effective and convenient local government". The most recent reviews reported early in 2001 and proposed four small changes to the boundaries of authorities to avoid bisecting developed areas.The 1973 Act gives the Commission powers to conduct wide-ranging reviews of local authority structures in Scotland. However, Ministers have currently directed the Commission to only conduct reviews affecting 300 electors or less.