Boundary Commission Reviews 6 Council Areas With Islands

15th January 2019

On 14 January 2019 the Commission announced the commencement of its reviews of electoral arrangements for the six council areas specified in the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.

These are Argyll and Bute Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highland Council, North Ayrshire Council, Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council.

The reviews will result in recommendations for the number of councillors on each council and the number and boundaries of wards for the election of those councillors.

The new islands legislation allows for use of 1 or 2 member wards, in addition to the current multi-member wards, where a ward includes an inhabited island.

The Commission will conduct the reviews in two phases, focussing first on na h-Eilanan an Iar and Orkney and Shetland Islands council areas.

It will then review Argyll and Bute, Highland and North Ayrshire council areas.

Between 1975 and 1996 there were three islands council areas of Scotland:

Orkney

Shetland

Western Isles

The islands council areas were the only unitary councils created under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which came into force in 1975. Notably, they were the only unitary authorities created by the local government reforms of the 1970s in Great Britain; which otherwise applied a two-tier structure. They did not form districts within the regions of Scotland because their remoteness made it unviable.

Single-tier council areas were not created throughout the rest of Scotland until 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which came into force in 1996. In most of Scotland, from 1975 to 1996, local government areas consisted of regions and districts.

The islands areas still exist, but have no special status. They are now simply classed as three of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, having identical powers and responsibilities as the mainland councils.