Question reference: S4W-28086
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 22 October 2015
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Current status: Answered by Marco Biagi on 12 November 2015
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that no proposal made by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland regarding changes to the electoral wards in Argyll and Bute is accepted without taking (a) full account of local views and (b) the opportunity for local hearings to be held.
Answer
Section 18(2) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended requires the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland to carry out local consultations, and to take any representations made to it into consideration, in conducting any reviews of local government electoral arrangements. Such consultations will be conducted before the commission submits any proposals for change arising from such reviews to ministers.
Section 19 of the 1973 Act provides that the commission may cause a local inquiry to be held in respect to any review carried out by it. Decisions on whether to hold any such inquiries are a matter for the commission. In addition, under section 210 of the 1973 Act as amended ministers may cause a local inquiry to be held before making any order arising from proposals submitted to them by the commission. A decision as to whether to hold such an inquiry in relation to proposals for Argyll and Bute or for any other area would only be taken by ministers after they had received any proposals for that area from the commission.