Politics of Aberdeen

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Aberdeen City Council

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Logo
Location
Geography
Area Ranked 25
 - Total 71.22 miles (186 km)
 - % Water  ?
Admin HQ Aberdeen
ISO 3166-2 GB-ABE
ONS code 00QA
Demographics
Population Ranked 8th
 - Total (2006

)

206,900
 - Density

1,112 /km² (2,880 /sq mi)
Politics
Aberdeen City Council
aberdeencity.gov.uk
Control Liberal Democrat/Scottish National Party
MPs Frank Doran
Anne Begg
Malcolm Bruce
MSPs Brian Adam
Lewis Macdonald
Nicol Stephen
Council logo
Council logo

The Politics of Aberdeen, Scotland have changed significantly in recent years. In 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, Grampian Regional Council was dissolved, creating the new unitary Aberdeen City Council to represent the city's council area. Aberdeen City Council no longer has any direct control over the neighbouring area of Aberdeenshire, although the headquarters of Aberdeenshire Council remain located within the city.

Contents

[edit] Aberdeen City Council

Aberdeen City Council represents the Aberdeen City council area of Scotland.

The council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. However, a sense of Aberdeen as a city, with its own city council, can be traced back to 1900, when the city of county of Aberdeen was created.

In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the county of city was combined with Bucksburn, Newhills, Old Machar, Stoneywood, Dyce and Peterculter areas of the county of Aberdeen and a Nigg area of the county of Kincardine (including Cove Bay) to form the Aberdeen district of the Grampian region. This district became the now existing unitary council area in 1996.

On 9th May 1995 by resolution under section 23 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 The City of Aberdeen Council changed the name of the local government area of "City of Aberdeen" to "Aberdeen City".

[edit] Composition

Between 2003 and 2007 the council was under the control of a Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition, holding 23 of the 43 seats on the council. Prior to the 2003 election, the council had been considered a Labour stronghold[1]. Following the May 2007 election, contested for the first time using a system of proportional representation, the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party (SNP) formed a coalition to run the council, holding 27 of the 43 seats (following an SNP by election gain from the Conservatives on 16 August 2007, the Lib Dem/SNP coalition now hold 28 of the 43 seats).

Aberdeen City Council comprises forty-three councillors who represent the city's wards and is headed by the Lord Provost who is currently Provost Peter Stephen.

Current political composition: (+/- by election changes since May 2007 election)

[edit] New wards from May 2007

Before May 2007, councillors represented 43 single-member wards, but since then,all seats were contested by a different electoral system. On May 5th 2007, it was the first election to use the single transferable vote system of election and multi-member wards, each ward electing three or four councillors. The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland completed its final recommendations for new wards for all the council areas of Scotland and for Aberdeen there will be 13 multi-member wards with a total of 43 councillors. This system was introduced as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, and is designed to produce a form of proportional representation.[2]

The composition of wards have changed to:

3 councillors:

4 councillors:

  • (2) Bridge of Don
  • (1) Dyce/Bucksburn/Danestone
  • (10) Hazlehead/Ashley/Queens Cross
  • (12) Torry/Ferryhill

The most recent results from this election were as followed:

Ward Councillors Party
Dyce / Bucksburn / Danestone Ron Clark Liberal Democrat
Barney Crocket Labour
Mark McDonald Scottish National Party
George Penny Liberal Democrat
Bridge of Don Muriel Jaffrey Scottish National Party
Gordon Leslie Liberal Democrat
John Reynolds Liberal Democrat
Willie Young Labour
KingsWells / Sheddocksley Len Ironside Labour
Peter Stephen Liberal Democrat
Wendy Stuart Scottish National Party
Northfield Jackie Dunbar Scottish National Party
Gordon Graham Labour
Kevin Stewart Scottish National Party
Hilton / Stockethill George Adam Labour
Neil Fletcher Liberal Democrat
Kirsty West Scottish National Party
Tillydrone / Seaton / Old Aberdeen Norman Collie Labour
Jim Noble Scottish National Party
Richard Robinson Liberal Democrat
Midstocket / Rosemount Bill Cormie Scottish National Party
Jenny Laing Labour
John Corral Scottish National Party
George Street / Harbour Andy May Scottish National Party
Jim Hunter Labour
John Stewart Liberal Democrat
Lower Deeside Mary Boulton Independent
Aileen Malone Liberal Democrat
Alan Milne Conservative
Hazlehead / Ashely / Queen's Cross Jim Farquharson Conservative
Martin Greig Liberal Democrat
Jennifer Stewart Liberal Democrat
John West Scottish National Party
Airyhall / Broomhill / Garthdee Scott Cassie Liberal Democrat
Jim Wisely Conservative
Ian Yuill Liberal Democrat
Torry / Ferryhill Yvonne Allan Labour
Irene Cormack Liberal Democrat
Alan Donnelly Conservative
Jim Kiddle Scottish National Party
Kincorth / Loirston Neil Cooney Labour
Katherine Dean Liberal Democrat
Callum McCaig Scottish National Party
Source: [1]

[edit] Composition (before May 2007)

The previous composition of 43 wards while using the standard First Past the Post voting system. Their representative counsellors and political parties were:

Party Ward Councillor
Liberal Democrat (34) Ashley Martin Greig
Scottish National Party (9) Auchmill Kevin Stewart
Labour (2) Bankhead and Stoneywood Brian Rattary
Liberal Democrat (21) Berryden John Stewart
Liberal Democrat (6) Bridge of Don Millicent McLeod
Liberal Democrat (35) Broomhill Ian Yuill
Labour (28) Castlehill James Hunter
Liberal Democrat (32) Cults Aileen Malone
Labour (10) Cummings Park Gordon Graham
Liberal Democrat (3) Danestone Raymond Hutcheon
Scottish National Party (7) Donmouth Muriel Jaffrey
Liberal Democrat (38) Duthie Irene Cormack
Liberal Democrat (37) Dyce Ronald Clark
Liberal Democrat (36) Garthdee Scott Cassie
Liberal Democrat (26) Gilcomston Alison Smith
Liberal Democrat (29) Hazlehead Karen Freel
Labour (15) Hilton George Adam
Liberal Democrat (37) Holburn David Falconer
Liberal Democrat (4) Jesmond Gordon Leslie
Labour (42) Kincorth East George Urquhart
Independent (41) Kincorth West David Clyne
Liberal Democrat (19) Kittybrewster Neil Fletcher
Liberal Democrat (27) Langstane Steve Delaney
Liberal Democrat (43) Loirston Katherine Dean
Conservative (33) Mannofield Jillian Wisely
Labour (12) Mastrick Ramsey Milne
Conservative (24 ) Midstocket John Porter
Liberal Democrat (31) Murtle Matthew Duncan
Liberal Democrat (8) Newhills Peter Stephen
Liberal Democrat (5) Oldmachar John Reynolds
Liberal Democrat (30) Peterculter Pamela MacDonald
Labour (23) Pittodrie Ronald Webster
Conservative (25) Queens Cross Brenda Craig
Labour (18) Seaton Norman Collie
Labour (13) Sheddocksley James Lamond
Scottish National Party (11) Springhill Karen Shirron
Labour (17) St. Machar Sandra Macdonald
Labour (20) Stockethill June Lamond
Labour (14) Summerhill Leonard Ironside
Scottish National Party (22) Sunnybank Andrew May
Labour (39) Torry Yvonne Allan
Scottish National Party (40) Tullos James Kiddie
Scottish National Party (16) Woodside & Tillydrone Alan Gowers
Source: Aberdeen City Council

[edit] UK Parliament

In the United Kingdom Parliament, the city is divided between three constituencies:

Party Constituency Member
Labour Aberdeen North Frank Doran
Labour Aberdeen South Anne Begg
Liberal Democrat Gordon Malcolm Bruce

[edit] Scottish Parliament

There are three Scottish Parliament constituencies that overlap the Aberdeen City Council area in the North East Scotland electoral region:

Party Constituency Member
Labour Aberdeen Central Lewis Macdonald
Scottish National Party Aberdeen North Brian Adam
Liberal Democrat Aberdeen South Nicol Stephen

Other MSPs in the North East Scotland electoral region (but selected by the Additional Member proportional representation system, and not in constituencies overlapping Aberdeen City or the Aberdeen City Council area) are:

Party Members
Labour Richard Baker
Scottish National Party Nigel Don
Labour Marlyn Glen
Conservative Alex Johnstone
Liberal Democrat Alison McInnes
Conservative Nanette Milne
Scottish National Party Maureen Watt

[edit] European Parliament

In the European Parliament, Scotland as a whole (and therefore Aberdeen) is represented by seven MEPs:

Party Members
Liberal Democrat Elspeth Attwooll
Scottish National Party Ian Hudghton
Labour David Martin
Conservative John Purvis
Scottish National Party Alyn Smith
Conservative Struan Stevenson
Labour Catherine Stihler

[edit] Twinned cities

Aberdeen is twinned with several cities across Europe and throughout the rest of the world.[3] These include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ David, Scott. "Labour is set to lose council strongholds in elections", The Scotsman, 2002-12-30. 
  2. ^ Scottish elections 2007. The Electoral Commission. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
  3. ^ Twinning. Aberdeen City Council. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.

[edit] External links

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