Page: 1 Business Services ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCIL 9 MARCH, 2017 BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR SCOTLAND SIXTH REVIEW OF UK PARLIAMENT CONSTITUENCIES 1 Recommendations The Council is recommended to:- 1.1 discuss the proposals made by the Boundary Commission for Scotland (BCS) for the Aberdeenshire Council area, as part of its review of UK Parliament Constituencies, 1.2 agree that changes suggested by officers to the new constituencies proposed by the Commission, as specified within the report at 2.7, be approved for onward transmission to the Commission, to be contained within the final agreed recommendations made to the Secretary of State for Scotland, and 1.3 make any other comments as members see fit. 2 Background / Discussion 2.1 The report seeks to advise members of proposals by the Boundary Commission for Scotland which redraw UK Parliament Constituencies within Scotland. It highlights, in particular, the impact of the Commission s proposals on the Aberdeenshire Council area. 2.2 In late October late year, the Commission issued its initial proposals for the revision of UK Parliament Constituencies in Scotland, together with maps illustrating the suggested changes, seeking any responses by interested parties. The timetable for receipt of submissions did not fit ideally with the Council s meeting cycle and the Commission declined to permit an extension to the consultation period to enable a report to be submitted to the meeting of full Council on 26 January this year for members consideration. Therefore, in order to protect the Council s position, a holding response was made by the Returning Officer, on the basis that a further phase of consultation was proposed for the spring of 2017. The Commission s initial proposals, along with the Returning Officer s response, are now presented for members consideration and comment, as appropriate. 2.3 In accordance with the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 (as amended), the Boundary Commission for Scotland is required to complete a review of 53 proposed constituencies in Scotland for the UK Parliament before 1 October, 2018. All constituencies in the UK, except island constituencies, are to contain the same average electorate, subject to a maximum variance of 5%. The 50 mainland constituencies in Scotland must, therefore, each have between 71,031 and 78,597 electors and may not exceed the maximum
Page: 2 permitted area of 12,000 square kilometres. These parameters therefore limit the number of possible constituency designs available. 2.4 The Commission has advised that it has not found it possible to construct all constituencies in Scotland from complete electoral wards but has indicated that it has followed community council or other recognised boundaries. 2.5 As a consequence of the above approach, the Commission proposes the creation of two constituencies which lie entirely within the Aberdeenshire Council area, namely Banff and Buchan (electorate 76,878 and covering 1,760 square kilometres) and Gordon and Deeside (electorate 74,069 and covering 3,412 square kilometres). Both are county constituencies and it is to be welcomed that both are situated completely within the Council s area, thereby minimising administrative difficulties and potential confusion for voters and candidates were they to straddle local authority boundaries. However, it should be noted that most of the area south of Aberdeen has now been added to part of the Angus Council area to create a new constituency of Kincardine and Angus East, which will contain the larger proportion of its constituent electors from Aberdeenshire rather than Angus. Maps illustrating the detail of the Commission s latest proposals have previously been placed on display in Council offices and at Woodhill House. A map of the proposed constituencies is attached at Appendix A and can be seen in detail at the Boundary Commission s website at http://www.bcommscotland.independent.gov.uk/2018_westminster/initial_pro posals/maps/index.asp by clicking on the relevant constituency. The composition of each of the proposed new constituencies by electoral ward and ward electorate is shown at Appendix B to this report. 2.6 Initial analysis by Council officers suggests that there are some additional challenges in administering these constituencies, especially on a crossauthority basis, but that these could be overcome by careful planning and preparation. On the basis that, due to the application of the electoral quota there are unlikely to be radical changes to the Commission s initial proposals, the submission by the Returning Officer to the Commission suggested some minor adjustments highlighted below. 2.7 Proposals 2.7.1 Banff and Buchan The proposal for this constituency is that it will continue to fall in its entirety within the Aberdeenshire Council area and will comprise all of Aberdeenshire Council Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The Commission also proposes that Wards 8 and 9 should be split between this constituency and the new Gordon and Deeside Constituency but the Returning Officer s response recommends that Ward 9 (Ellon and ) should fall within Banff and Buchan in its entirety. Correspondingly, to allow the electorate figures to be balanced, the Returning Officer s submission proposed that the Mid-Formartine Ward should fall entirely within Gordon and Deeside.
Page: 3 2.7.2 Gordon and Deeside A new constituency is proposed, incorporating most of the previous UK Parliamentary Constituency of Gordon, together with a significant part of the former West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine Constituency. While there may be some questions as to the natural association of an electoral division containing both Deeside and Gordon, the new constituency is at least contained in its entirety within the Aberdeenshire Council area, including Wards 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, together in the Commission s proposals with parts of Wards 8 and 9. It is the view of officers that, wherever possible, whole wards as proposed above - should remain within the same constituency or else some voters in each of the wards in question would find themselves in the Banff and Buchan Constituency and some in Gordon and Deeside. This outcome would mean electors from the same rural settlements voting at the same polling location as a neighbour but in a different contest electing a different MP. 2.7.3 Kincardine and Angus East In order to be consistent with the above approach, it is suggested that the Commission s proposals for this new constituency (including Aberdeenshire Wards 16,17, 18 and 19) should be amended to include Angus Council Ward 6 in its entirety. Nevertheless, as over 55% of the proposed electorate would be drawn from the Aberdeenshire Council area, members are encouraged to support wholeheartedly the proposal that the Returning Officer for Aberdeenshire Council be responsible for administering this constituency at elections. It is recognised that the Commission s suggested constituency boundary between Gordon and Deeside and Kincardine and Angus East splits the traditional association for communities all along Deeside, but this might otherwise be reflected in suggested changes to the proposed constituency names, as follows: renaming Gordon and Deeside as Gordon and Upper Deeside, and Kincardine and Angus East as Kincardine, Mid-Deeside and Angus East. 2.7.4 In general terms, members are respectfully requested to give their support to the proposals put forward by officers, in order to support the administration of elections but also to assist elected representatives and political parties with co-ordination of constituency work and in terms of their organisational networks. 2.7.5 Any representations made regarding the Commission s initial proposals require to be submitted by 27 March, after which any revised proposals will be consulted upon later in the year. Final recommendations will be made in a report to the Secretary of State for Scotland in September, 2018. Once approved, new constituency boundaries would be expected to take effect at the next scheduled UK Parliamentary Election in May, 2020. 3. Staffing and Financial Implications 3.1 Once arrangements have been finalised, it is hoped that there will be relatively few staffing consequences for the Council, in terms of the management of the election process, albeit there will require to be continuing liaison with officers from Angus Council in order to address the requirements
Page: 4 of the proposed Kincardine and Angus East Constituency. Similarly, it is hoped that finalised proposals will not have any significant financial impact. 3.2 Members of the Council s Election Team, the Monitoring Officer and the Head of Finance have been consulted and their views incorporated into the terms of this report, as appropriate. 3.3 An Equality Impact Assessment is not required as the consultation on the Boundary Commission s proposals will not have a differential impact, as a result of the report s recommendations, for any person with a protected characteristic. Ritchie Johnson Director of Business Services Report prepared by:- Allan Bell Date 27 February, 2017
Appendix A Item: 10 Page: 5
Page: 6 APPENDIX B Proposed Constituency BANFF AND BUCHAN GORDON AND DEESIDE Council Area Ward No. Ward Name Electorate Aberdeenshire 1 Banff and 8,640 Aberdeenshire 2 Troup 7,443 Aberdeenshire 3 Fraserburgh 10,863 and Aberdeenshire 4 Central 10,609 Buchan Aberdeenshire 5 Peterhead 10,763 North and Rattray Aberdeenshire 6 Peterhead 8,743 South and Cruden Aberdeenshire 7 Turriff and 9,084 Aberdeenshire 8 Mid Formartine (part) 1,093 (propose moving to Gordon and Aberdeenshire 9 Ellon and (part) Aberdeenshire 8 Mid Formartine (part) Aberdeenshire 9 Ellon and (part) Deeside) 9,640 76,878 11,042 1,797 (propose moving to Banff and Buchan) Aberdeenshire 10 West Garioch 9,179 Aberdeenshire 11 Inverurie and 10,557 Aberdeenshire 12 East Garioch 9,352 Aberdeenshire 13 Westhill and Aberdeenshire 14 Huntly, Strathbogie and Howe of Alford 11,622 11,777
Page: 7 Aberdeenshire 15 Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside 8,743 74,069 KINCARDINE AND ANGUS EAST Aberdeenshire 16 Banchory and 8,563 Mid Deeside Aberdeenshire 17 North 11,898 Kincardine Aberdeenshire 18 Stonehaven 10,830 and Lower Deeside Aberdeenshire 19 Mearns 11,397 Angus 6 Arbroath West and Letham (part) 11,229 (propose adding 168 voters in this ward, from Angus Glens and Dundee East) Angus 7 Arbroath East 11,307 and Lunan Angus 8 Montrose and 11,560 76,784