Highland Council

The Highland Council

Comhairle na Gàidhealtachd
Coat of arms or logo
Coat of Arms
Logo
Council logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Bill Lobban,
Independent
since 18 May 2017
Raymond Bremner,
SNP
since 26 May 2022
Derek Brown
since 22 June 2023
Structure
Seats74 councillors
Political groups
Administration (37)
  SNP (21)
  Highland Independent (16)
Other parties (37)
  Liberal Democrat (15)
  Highland Alliance (7)
  Conservative (6)
  Scottish Greens (4)
  Non Aligned (2)
  Labour (2)
  Alba (1)
Length of term
Full council elected every 5 years
Elections
Single transferable vote
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Headquarters of the council
Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX
Website
www.highland.gov.uk

The Highland Council (Comhairle na Gàidhealtachd Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈkʰõ.ərˠʎə nə ˈkɛːəl̪ˠt̪əxk]) is the local authority for Highland, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. The council is based at the Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness.

History

[edit]

The Highland area had been created as an administrative area in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, which established a two-tier structure of local government comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Highland Regional Council was the upper-tier authority, and the region also contained eight districts, called Badenoch and Strathspey, Caithness, Inverness, Lochaber, Nairn, Ross and Cromarty, Skye and Lochalsh and Sutherland.[1]

Further local government reform in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the area's districts and the regional council abolished, with a new unitary authority created covering the same area as the former Highland Region.[2] Until 2007, the new council maintained decentralised management and committee structures which related to former district boundaries. New management and committee structures, involving three corporate management areas and related committees, were created at the same time as the introduction of multi-member wards and single transferable vote elections in 2007.

The 1995 election created a council of 72 members, each elected from a single-member ward by the first past the post system of election. Ward boundaries were redrawn for the 1999 election, to create 80 single-member wards and, again, election was by the first past the post system. The same wards and the same system of election were used for the 2003 election. For the 2007 election, ward boundaries were redrawn again, under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, to create the 22 multi-member wards, each electing three or four councillors by the single transferable vote system, but still electing a total of 80 councillors. For the 2017 election, the number of wards was reduced to 21, and the total number of councillors to 74. New ward boundaries were proposed by Boundaries Scotland in 2021 which would have reduced the total number of councillors to 73, however these were rejected by the Scottish Parliament.[3]

The council has been a member of the Islands Forum since 2022.

Political control

[edit]

The council has been under no overall control since 2007. Following the 2022 election the SNP formed the largest group with 22 councillors; this was the first time since the council's inception that independent councillors did not form the largest grouping. The SNP and some of the independent councillors subsequently formed a coalition to run the council.[4]

The first election to the Highland Regional Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the reforms which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1975 has been as follows:[5]

Highland Regional Council

Party in control Years
Independent 1975–1996

The Highland Council

Party in control Years
Independent 1996–2007
No overall control 2007–present

Leadership

[edit]

Since 2008, political leadership has been provided by the leader of the council.[6] The leaders since 2008 have been:[7]

Councillor Party From To
Michael Foxley[6][8] Liberal Democrats 2008 May 2012
Drew Hendry[9][10] SNP May 2012 May 2015
Margaret Davidson[11][12] Independent 11 Jun 2015 May 2022
Raymond Bremner[4] SNP 26 May 2022

Composition

[edit]

Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to November 2024, the composition of the council was:[13]

Party Councillors
SNP 21
Highland Independent 16
Liberal Democrats 15
Highland Alliance 7
Conservative 6
Scottish Green 4
Non Aligned 2
Labour 2
Alba 1
Total 74

Of the independent councillors, the majority form the 'Highland Independent' group which is in coalition with the SNP to form the council's administration. Some of the others form the 'Highland Alliance' while the rest sit as 'Non Aligned'.

The next election is due in 2027.[14]

Premises

[edit]

The council is based at the Highland Council Headquarters on Glenurquhart Road, in Inverness.[15] The oldest part of the building was originally a school, which was completed in 1876.[16] The complex was bought by the old Inverness-shire County Council in the 1930s and was significantly extended in the 1960s.[17] Inverness-shire County Council had held its meetings at Inverness Castle, but the council chamber there was too small to accommodate the Highland Regional Council created in 1975. The regional council therefore used the Glenurquhart Road building as its main offices, but initially held its meetings in the larger council chamber at the former Ross and Cromarty County Council's headquarters at County Buildings, Dingwall. A new council chamber was subsequently built at Glenurquhart Road in 1986.[18] The council also has numerous area offices.[19]

Wards

[edit]
The 21 wards of Highland, 2017 configuration.

As of 2017, there are 21 wards, each of which is represented by 3 or 4 councillors. Ward forums are held by the councillors representing each ward: these meetings are open to the public.[20] A Ward Manager is appointed to each ward or group of wards.[21] Each ward receives a small discretionary budget that is managed by the ward manager.[20]

The councillors representing groups of wards also sit as area committees, each covering areas which to some extent correspond with former local government boundaries. There are area committees for the counties of Caithness, Sutherland and Nairnshire, as well the city of Inverness. The remaining area committees cover Badenoch and Strathspey, the Black Isle, Dingwall and Seaforth, Easter Ross, Lochaber, the Isle of Skye and Raasay, and Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh.[22]

List of wards:

Ward number Ward Seats
1 North, West and Central Sutherland 3
2 Thurso and North West Caithness 4
3 Wick and East Caithness 4
4 East Sutherland and Edderton 3
5 Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh 4
6 Cromarty Firth 4
7 Tain and Easter Ross 3
8 Dingwall and Seaforth 4
9 Black Isle 3
10 Eilean a' Cheò 4
11 Caol and Mallaig 3
12 Aird and Loch Ness 4
13 Inverness West 3
14 Inverness Central 3
15 Inverness Ness-side 3
16 Inverness Millburn 3
17 Culloden and Ardersier 3
18 Nairn and Cawdor 4
19 Inverness South 4
20 Badenoch and Strathspey 4
21 Fort William and Ardnamurchan 4

For lists of historic wards and details of how they were grouped into corporate and ward management areas, see:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 22 November 2022
  2. ^ "Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1978 c. 39, retrieved 22 November 2022
  3. ^ "2019 Reviews of Electoral Arrangements". Boundaries Scotland. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b "SNP-independent coalition control Highland Council". BBC News. 26 May 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Trio build new council coalition". BBC News. 27 June 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Agendas, reports and minutes". Highland Council. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Council leader to stand down". John O'Groat Journal. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  9. ^ "'Living wage' pledge as Highland Council elects new leader". BBC News. 17 May 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  10. ^ "SNP group on Highland Council to begin leader process". BBC News. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Independents form new Highland Council administration". BBC News. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  12. ^ Findlay, Stuart (16 March 2022). "Margaret Davidson announces decision to step down after seven years as Highland Council leader". Press and Journal. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Councillors by party". Highland Council. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Highland". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Location of our headquarters". Highland Council. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  16. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Ardross Street, Highland Regional Council Buildings (LB35144)". Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Older County Buildings, Inverness, 1964". Ambaile. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  18. ^ Love, Jim (24 October 1986). "Region get their own home". Aberdeen Press and Journal. p. 16. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Visit an office". The Highland Council. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Council wards". The Highland Council. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Ward managers". The Highland Council. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Overview of committee membership and office bearers". The Highland Council. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Highland_Council&oldid=1260783745"