Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland launches reviews of six island councils

Stromness, Orkney - Image credit: Katherine via Flickr

The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland has launched reviews of Scotland’s six island councils.

The reviews will be carried in in two stages, with public consultations for the three island-only councils, Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles), Orkney and Shetland, planned for spring and summer 2019.

This will be followed by reviews of the three other councils covered by the Islands Act, Argyll and Bute, Highland and North Ayrshire, which have a mixture of island and mainland wards.

The reviews will not look at the external boundaries of the council areas, but will produce recommendations for the number of councillors on each council and the number and boundary of wards in each area.

New legislation under the Islands Act allows for more flexibility where a ward includes an inhabited island, with one or two member wards now possible in addition to the current multi-member wards.

In all other circumstances a ward must have either three or four councillors.

When reviewing electoral arrangements the commission has to take to take account of five factors in reaching its decisions.

These are: promoting “effective and convenient local government”, that each councillor within a council should represent approximately the same number of people, whether there are local ties that would be broken by moving a particular boundary, fixing boundaries that are easily identifiable, and special geographical considerations that affect boundaries.

The 2018 Islands Act requires the boundary commission to review the six councils as soon as possible and the commission will make its recommendations to ministers before May 2021 so that the new wards are in place for the local government elections in May 2022.

Ronnie Hinds, chair of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, said: “We welcome the new islands legislation and the flexibility it offers us to use one or two member wards where there are inhabited islands. 

“The islands make a unique contribution to Scotland but island communities face distinctive challenges and the new flexibility will help us recognise that while respecting the other requirements of an electoral review. 

“We look forward to engaging with the six councils and their communities and have already taken the opportunity during 2018 to begin discussions in Shetland, Orkney and Na h-Eileanan an Iar. 

“Consultation is key to our work and we hope to encourage full participation in the reviews over the next two years.”