- Politics of Dundee
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Dundee City Council
Dundee Ceety Cooncil
Comhairle Cathair Dhùn Dè
Logo
Location 
Geography Area Ranked 32nd - Total 60 km2 (23 sq mi)60 Admin HQ Dundee ISO 3166-2 GB-DND ONS code 00QJ Demographics Population Ranked 14th - Total (2005) 144,300 - Density 2,414 / km² Politics Dundee City Council
http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/Control Scottish National Party (minority control) MPs - Stewart Hosie
- James McGovern
MSPs Politics in the Dundee City (Mòr-bhaile Dhùn Dèagh in Gaelic) council area are evident in the deliberations and decisions of Dundee City Council, in elections to the council, and in elections to the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) and the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster).
In the European Parliament, the city area is within the Scotland constituency, which covers all of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Dundee City became a unitary council area in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994[1], with the boundaries of the City of Dundee district of the Tayside region, minus a Monifieth area and part of a Sidlaw area, which were transferred from the city area to the new unitary council area of Angus. The city district was also the administrative centre for the region.
The new unitary city council area was named The City of Dundee in the legislation of 1994, but this was changed to Dundee City by a council resolution on 29 June 1995, under section 23 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65).[2] In terms of area, it is the smallest of Scotland's unitary council areas.
The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to include: the former county of city of Dundee; a Monifieth area, including the burgh of Monifieth (but not Newtyle and Kettins areas), previously within the county of Angus; and a Longforgan area previously within the county of Perth.
The county of city was created in 1894, and the city area has included the burgh of Broughty Ferry since 1913. Dundee has been a royal burgh since 1191.
Contents
City council
Council meetings take place in the City Chambers, located in City Square. They were opened in 1933.
The council executive is based in Tayside House on the banks of the River Tay, but the council intends to demolish it in favour of new premises (Dundee House) on North Lindsay Street.[3]
Composition and control
The council consists of 29 councillors:
- Scottish National Party - 14 councillors
- Labour - 7 councillors
- Conservative - 3 councillors
- Liberal Democrat - 2 councillors
- Independent - 3 councillors
Although the Scottish National Party has the largest number of seats, the council was initially controlled by a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition, with the support of the Conservatives. This changed after the March 2009 By Election result which tipped the balance further in the SNPs direction.[4][5]
The council has a history of Labour Party domination. George Galloway was leader for a time, and was responsible for organising Dundee's twinning with the Palestinian city of Nablus.[6]
Positions
The civic head and chair of the council is known as the Lord Provost. The incumbent Lord Provost of Dundee is John Letford, a former Labour councillor who currently sits as an independent. The Deputy Lord Provost is Cllr Ian Borthwick (Independent). A number of councillors are appointed as ceremonial bailies.
The Leader of the Council, as head of the largest political grouping, is Cllr Ken Guild (SNP).
Elections
Tayside House
Current home of Dundee City CouncilGeneral elections to the council are held on a four year cycle, with the last on Thursday 3 May 2007.
Councillors are elected from subdivisions of the city area called wards. At present they are elected form 29 single-member wards. by the plurality (first past the post) system of election. As a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004,[7] eight new wards are to be introduced for the 2007 election, each electing three or four members by the single transferable vote system of election, to produce a form of proportional representation. The total number of councillors will remain the same. A By-Election was held on the 12th of March 2009 due to the resignation of Councillor Joe Morrow who was a councillor for Labour. The SNP’s Craig Melville took the seat.
Wards
1999 to 2007
Existing wards, listed below, were first used for elections in 1999. The names and parties of current councillors are also listed:[4]
Ward Councillor Party Ninewells Nigel Don Scottish National Party Camperdown John Letford Independent Balgay Bob Duncan Scottish National Party Lochee West Jill Shimi Labour Riverside Neil Powrie Conservative Brackens Ian Borthwick Independent Ardler Kevin Keenan Labour Balgowan Rikki Beattie Scottish Nationalist Claverhouse Andrew Dawson Scottish National Party Whitfield Willie Sawers Scottish National Party Longhaugh Joe Fitzpatrick Scottish National Party Pitkerro Christina Roberts Scottish National Party Douglas George Regan Labour Barnhill Bruce Mackie Conservative Balgillo Roderick Wallace Conservative Broughty Ferry Charles Webster Conservative West Ferry Derek Scott Conservative Craigiebank John Corrigan Scottish National Party Strathmartine Helen Dick Liberal Democrat Lochee East Charles Farquhar Labour Tay Bridges Fraser Macpherson Liberal Democrat Logie James Barrie Scottish National Party Law Julia Sturrock Labour East Port William Dawson Scottish National Party Baxter Park Elizabeth Fordyce Scottish National Party Hilltown Fiona Grant Labour Bowbridge Christopher Hind Labour Stobswell Craig Meville Scottish National Party Fairmuir Helen Wright Labour 
Dundee City Square
Caird Hall is the building at the back of the square
The building on the right is Dundee City Chambers, where the city council meetsCreated in 2007
The first elections using the new boundaries and using the STV system to vote were held on May 3rd 2007. The results were
Ward Seats Councillor's Party Strathmartine 4 Stewart Hunter Ian Borthwick
Kevin Keenan
Helen Dick
Scottish National Party(SNP) Independent
Labour
Liberal Democrat
Lochee 4 Bob Duncan Alan Ross[8]
John Letford[9]
Tom Ferguson
Scottish National Party(SNP) Scottish National Party(SNP)
Labour
Labour
West End 4 Jim Barrie Donald Hay
Richard McCready
Fraser McPherson
Scottish National Party(SNP) Conservative
Labour
Liberal Democrat
Coldside 4 Jimmy Black Dave Bowes
Mohammed Asif
Helen Wright
Scottish National Party(SNP) Scottish National Party(SNP)
Labour
Labour
Maryfield 3 Liz Fordyce Ken Lynn
Scottish National Party(SNP) Scottish National Party(SNP)
Scottish National Party(SNP)
North East 3 Andy Dawson Willie Sawers
Brian Gordon
Scottish National Party(SNP) Scottish National Party(SNP)
Labour
East End 3 Will Dawson Christina Roberts
George Regan
Scottish National Party(SNP) Scottish National Party(SNP)
Labour
The Ferry 4 Ken Guild Laurie Bidwell
Derek Scott
Rod Wallace
Scottish National Party(SNP) Labour
Conservative
Conservative
Scottish Parliament
For elections to the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) the city area is divided between three constituencies. The Dundee East (Holyrood) constituency and the Dundee West (Holyrood) constituency are entirely within the city area. The Angus (Holyrood) constituency includes north-eastern and north-western portions of the city area, part of the Angus council area, and part of the Perth and Kinross council area.[11]
All three constituencies are within the North East Scotland electoral region. The region elects a total of nine first past the post constituency Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and seven additional members, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
Boundaries date from 1999, when the parliament itself was created.
Currently, Shona Robison (SNP) is MSP for the Dundee East constituency, Joe Fitzpatrick (SNP) is MSP for the Dundee West constituency, and Andrew Welsh (SNP) is MSP for the Angus constituency.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
For elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster), the city area is divided between the Dundee East (Westminster) constituency and the Dundee West (Westminster) constituency. These constituencies also include portions of the Angus council area.[11]
Current boundaries date from 2005. Prior to the 2005 general election, the constituencies had the boundaries of now existing Scottish Parliament constituencies, with north-eastern and north-western portions of the city area being covered by the Angus (Westminster) constituency.
Currently, Stewart Hosie (Scottish National Party) is Member of Parliament (MP) for the Dundee East constituency, and James McGovern (Labour) is MP for the Dundee West constituency.
Historic constituencies
As a royal burgh, Dundee was represented as a component of the Perth Burghs constituency from 1708 to 1832, when the Dundee burgh constituency was created. In 1868 the burgh constituency became a two-member constituency.
East and West single-member constituencies have existed, with varying boundaries, since 1950.
Notes and references
- ^ Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, full text, Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website
OPSI home page - ^ Edinburgh Gazette, July 7, 1995
- ^ Long live Dundee House, Evening Telegraph (publisher DC Thomson), 15 March 2006
- ^ a b Dundee City Council Political Make-up, Dundee City Council website
- ^ Dundee Tory leader hits out at critic, Evening Telegraph (publisher DC Thomson), 28 February 2005
- ^ As council leader, he flew the Palestinian flag over Dundee, according to Torcuil Crichton in Kebabs Over Baghdad?, Sunday Herald, 25 April 2004
- ^ Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, full text, Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website
- ^ Nigel Don was originally elected; however he was also elected as an MSP for North-East Scotland. A by-election in late 2007 elected Alan Ross to replace him.
- ^ John Letford resigned from the Labour group on 24th March 2009 and now sits as an independent councillor
- ^ Won the March 2009 By Election. Replaced Joe Morrow (Labour)
- ^ a b Fifth Periodical Review of Constituencies, Boundary Commission for Scotland, in which review-period boundaries for Westminster constituencies are those of now existing Holyrood constituencies
See also
- List of places in Dundee
- List of places in Angus
- List of places in Fife
- List of places in Perth and Kinross
Council areas of Scotland Aberdeen · Aberdeenshire · Angus · Argyll and Bute · Clackmannanshire · Dumfries and Galloway · Dundee · East Ayrshire · East Dunbartonshire · East Lothian · East Renfrewshire · Edinburgh · Falkirk · Fife · Glasgow · Highland · Inverclyde · Midlothian · Moray · Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) · North Ayrshire · North Lanarkshire · Orkney · Perth and Kinross · Renfrewshire · Scottish Borders · Shetland · South Ayrshire · South Lanarkshire · Stirling · West Dunbartonshire · West Lothian
External links
Local political parties:
Categories:- Local authorities of Scotland
- Politics of Dundee
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