Scotland/Catalogs/Council areas of Scotland
Scotland is divided into 32 Council areas. These divisions were set through the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994 and took effect on April 1, 1996 . The Council areas replaced the multi tier system which had been used since 1974 that consisted of 9 Regions containing 53 District which could be further subdivided into over 1,000 Community Areas. Prior to 1974, a system of 33 counties had been used. The Council areas are in part based on, and reuse some of the names of, the older system of Counties that predated the Regions.
Local Councils are unitary authorities formed of a body of Councilors. Each councilor represents a ward within the Council Area. The boundaries and number of wards is set by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Councilors are elected by popular ballot, on a first past the post system, and sit for 4 year terms. Ordinary elections area held on the first Thursday of the month of May.
The councilors then elect one of their number to be the convener and also a deputy convener. The convener is the Chair of the council meetings. In the four city areas of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, the convener is given the title "Lord Provost". In other areas, each council may decide the title of the convener themselves (excluding the title "Lord Provost".) Currently, 16 councils use the title "Provost" for their convener. Each Councillor is paid a part-time salary for conducting their duties.
Each council receives the majority of their funding, in the form of grants, form the Scottish Executive. They also Levy a Council Tax which is a form of property tax. Another minority source of funds is though the issue of licenses and permits.
Catalog of Council Areas
| Council Area Name | Population[1] | Land Area (sqr km) |
Controlling Party (Post May 6, 2007 Election)[2] |
Convener, Provist or |
Setlements (Cities and Towns)[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 202090 | 182 | Aberdeen | ||
| Aberdeenshire | 238770 | 6317 | |||
| Angus | 109930 | 2184 | |||
| Argyll & Bute | 91390 | 7023 | |||
| Clackmannanshire | 48900 | 158 | |||
| Dumfries & Galloway | 148030 | 6446 | Dumfries | ||
| Dundee City | 142160 | 55 | Dundee | ||
| East Ayrshire | 119290 | 1275 | Kilmarnock | ||
| East Dunbartonshire | 105460 | 176 | Bearsden | ||
| East Lothian | 92830 | 666 | |||
| East Renfrewshire | 89290 | 168 | |||
| Edinburgh, City of | 463510 | 260 | Edinburgh | ||
| Eilean Siar (Western Isles) | 26350 | 3070 | |||
| Falkirk | 149680 | 293 | Falkirk | ||
| Fife | 358930 | 1340 | Dunfermline Glenrothes Kirkcaldy |
||
| Glasgow City | 580690 | 175 | Glasgow | ||
| Highland | 215310 | 26119 | Inverness | ||
| Inverclyde | 81540 | 167 | Greenock | ||
| Midlothian | 79290 | 350 | |||
| Moray | 89030 | 2237 | |||
| North Ayrshire | 135490 | 888 | Irvine | ||
| North Lanarkshire | 323780 | 476 | Wishaw Cumbernauld Motherwell Airdrie Coatbridge |
||
| Orkney Islands | 19770 | 5395 | |||
| Perth & Kinross | 139590 | 1025 | Perth | ||
| Renfrewshire | 169590 | 263 | Paisley | ||
| Scottish Borders | 110240 | 4727 | |||
| Shetland Islands | 21880 | 1471 | |||
| South Ayrshire | 111670 | 1230 | Ayr | ||
| South Lanarkshire | 307670 | 1778 | convener | Rutherglen Hamilton East Kilbride |
|
| Stirling | 87810 | 2243 | Stiring | ||
| West Dunbartonshire | 91240 | 176 | Clydebank | ||
| West Lothian | 165700 | 427 | Livingston |
Key to Parties Colours
- Conservative
- Labor
- Liberal Democrat
- Green
- Scottish Socialist
- Solidarity Scotland
- Other
- No Overal Control
References
- ↑ Mid-2006 Population Estimates Scotland. National Statistics (April 26, 2007). Retrieved on May 13, 2007.
- ↑ BBC NEWS ¦ Election 2007 ¦ Seat-by-seat ¦ Results: Scotland councils (HTML). BBC News (May 8, 2007). Retrieved on May 13, 2007.
- ↑ Mid-2004 Population Estimates for Localities in Scotland (PDF). General Register Office for Scotland (November 9, 2006). Retrieved on May 13, 2007.
This list of towns and cities currently only includes localities with a population of over 25,000.