Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland

Scotland

This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Scotland
Government First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Deputy First Minister John Swinney Cabinet 8th government Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Civil Service Directorates Public bodies Executive agencies Local government
Parliament Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh Acts Statutory Instruments Shadow Cabinets Members (MSPs) 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 Elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 Next Constituencies and electoral regions Legislative Consent Motion
Law Supreme Court (UK) Supreme Courts Sheriff Courts Land Courts Justice of the Peace Courts Lord Lyon Court
Scotland in the UK Her Majesty's Government Scotland Office Sec. of State: D. Mundell Under-Sec.: A. Dunlop UK Parliament Grand Committee Select Committee Reserved matters Elections Constituencies Current Westminster MPs
Scotland in the EU European Parliament elections Constituency
Administrative divisions Local government Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Other countries Atlas

The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland is an independent body in Scotland created under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. According to its website,^[1] it is responsible for: carrying out reviews of boundaries of local authority areas; reviews of electoral arrangements for local authorities; responding to requests for ad hoc reviews of electoral or administrative arrangements; and advising on wards for Health Board elections. 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 Local Government Boundary Commission for England, the Local Democracy and 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.

Electoral reviews

In 2006, the Commission completed its Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements, as required by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, 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. A subsequent interim review in 2011 did not change any ward boundaries, but increased the number of councilors to 1223 from May 2012.

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". Since the establishment of Scotland's current 32 unitary councils in 1995, the Commission has conducted 7 such reviews each of which resulted in 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, throughout its existence, Ministers have directed the Commission not to conduct such reviews.

External links

Footnotes

↑ Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland website

Advisory non-departmental public bodies of the Scottish Government

General Teaching Council for Scotland Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland Public Transport Users Committee for Scotland Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards Scottish Law Commission Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/15/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.