This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Local Governance Bill
24/11/2003
The Executive has introduced the Local Governance
(Scotland) Bill to the Parliament.
It will change the way Scotland's councillors are
elected, how they are recompensed for the work they do and
will remove barriers to allow a more diverse range of
people to stand for election. The Executive hopes the Bill
will become law next year.
Minister for Finance and Public Services Andy Kerr
said:
"Improving the delivery of top-quality public services
is one of our key priorities, and one that is shared by
Scotland's councils. The Governance Bill is a major
milestone in driving forward our renewing local democracy
agenda.
"It reflects our continuing commitment to improving
democratic participation and widening the range of people
who become involved in local government.
"There are many people in Scotland who could make a
significant contribution to improving their communities.
The package of measures contained in this Bill will make it
easier for them to consider standing for election in
future."
Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services Tavish
Scott said:
"People depend on councils to deliver a huge range of
services, from education to waste and recycling facilities.
To deliver the services people need, councillors need to
represent the communities they serve and be properly
accountable to them.
"The Local Governance Bill is a significant step
forward, enabling more people from varied backgrounds to
stand for election. The Bill delivers on the Executive's
commitment to making progress on the electoral reform. We
have now introduced a Bill that will implement the single
transferable vote for the next local government elections -
a system which will ensure that every vote counts, and that
the number of seats secured by a party more accurately
reflects their share of the vote."
The Local Governance (Scotland) Bill will:
* introduce STV for the next local government
elections
* bring the age at which people can stand as a
councillor down to 18
* remove unnecessary political restrictions on
council employees standing for local authority elections
* establish an independent remuneration committee for
councillors
The STV system in the Bill centres around multi-member
council wards, with either 3 or 4 councillors. Voters can
express their preference on the ballot paper by voting for
one, more or all candidates by ranking them in order of
preference. After the polls close, a quota of votes is
calculated and candidates need to achieve that quota to be
elected. The process involves the transfer (at a reduced
value) of votes from candidates who have either been
comfortably elected, or who have no chance of being
elected, to second or subsequent preference candidates
until all the seats in the ward have been filled. The STV
Working Group chaired by David Green is considering some of
the practical issues that the new voting system will
raise.
The provisions relating to councillors' remuneration
establish a new independent Remuneration Committee to
consider and advise on a new system of remuneration to
replace the current basic and special responsibility
allowances paid to councillors. The Committee will be
asked to consider remuneration including pension
arrangements, and a one-off severance scheme for
councillors choosing to stand down at the next election.
The Councillors' Remuneration Progress Group chaired by
Lord Sewel is carrying out preliminary work to allow the
statutory committee to hit the ground running when the Bill
is passed.
The provisions relating to widening access are designed
to encourage a wider range of people to consider standing
for election to their local council. The Widening Access
to Council Membership Progress Group is also examining the
issues around widening access.