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Footnotes
1 Available at http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,43/task,do/.
2 In 2003 candidates were only asked to state their main reason for standing so the findings cannot be compared with 2007 when they were provided with specific categories and asked to tick all that applied.
3 Available at http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,43/task,do/
4 The Final Report of the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament, Moving Forward Local Government and the Scottish Parliament, June 1999
5 The Report of the Renewing Local Democracy Working Group http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/158178/0042807.pdf.
6 The surveys were undertaken separately in order to allow COSLA to ask councillors additional questions on their duties and roles, development and support needs, workloads and understanding and views on key issues.
7 Candidates Survey (2003) http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/12/18607/29832.
8 "Scotland's Councillors" (2003) http://www.cosla.gov.uk/attachments/publications/cllrsurvey2003.pdf.
9 Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2004/20040009.htm.
10 76.5% were incumbents, 3.4% had served in the past.
11 The data from these surveys broadly corresponds with similar analysis undertaken by Bochel & Denver, who found that in 2003 76% of those who won council seats were already incumbents, whereas in 2007 the figure was only 51%.
12 This number has since risen by one, following the appointment of Shirley-Anne Somerville after the resignation of Stefan Tymkewycz.
13 Bochel & Denver's "Scottish Council Elections 2007" report (2007) analysis stated that the proportion of councillors who are female is unchanged since 2003 at 21.8%. This data has been used in Figures 6 and 7 as, for gender, they are more comprehensive than those collected from respondents to the candidate and elected members surveys and they were the best data available at the time of undertaking analysis for this report. Later data from the Electoral Reform Society suggests that the proportion of councillors who are female has fallen slightly from 21.8% in 2003 to 21.6% in 2007 so this figure is used in the narrative here to reflect the fact that there has been a slight decrease in the number of female councillors.
14 Source: Bochel & Denver, 2007.
15 Not including Solidarity who had one candidate elected, who was female so the 'percentage' of their councillors who are female is, of course, 100%.
16 Solidarity and the SSP won one seat each in 2007 (one won by a female and the other by a male respectively) so their percentages are not considered here.
17 It is perhaps not surprising, though, that those aged 65 and over are under-represented because potential candidates may consider being a councillor as a form of employment and those in this age group may choose not to stand as they are above retirement age.
18 Although as discussed in paragraphs 2.14-2.16, this was not the main factor cited by any councillors who were standing down in 2007 . Age/retirement was the most commonly cited reason so many of these councillors may have stood down anyway, although the proportion standing down was certainly far greater than in other years when there has not been a severance package offered
19 It should be noted when looking at the percentages for female and male SSP and 'Other' party councillors that this is based on very small numbers (3 councillors and 5 councillors of both genders respectively).
20 Please note that these figures do not add up to the total number of unsuccessful candidates with children aged 0-16, as respondents may have children under 5 as well as older children
21 Paper candidates are candidates who did not expect to win, did not campaign, and may not have been able to realistically serve as a councillor, but stood nonetheless to support their party's objectives.
22 The numbers of non-white candidates and councillors are too small to draw any conclusions on the effects of the public information campaign on increasing ethnic diversity among candidates.
23 Including rejected ballots. The valid turnout (excluding rejected ballots) was 52.8% (Bochel & Denver, 2007)
24 Bochel & Denver, 2007
25 Bochel & Denver, 2007
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